


The Witching Hour Arrives

by desertspells



Category: One Piece
Genre: AFAB reader - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Historical, Edo Period, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Nakama, Nonbinary Character, Other, Reader-Insert, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Witches, nonbinary reader, they/them pronouns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2020-06-27 06:11:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19784872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desertspells/pseuds/desertspells
Summary: On that snowy night, Usopp stuttered “W-w-welcome, how can, um, we help you?”. Luffy’s eyes instantly lit up as he met yours. He instinctively knew he was going to befriend the stranger who had walked through a snowstorm to their town’s police station.“Hello, I would like to file a request to live as this town’s witch.”[Hiatus]





	1. A/n: Info

Hello! Thank you for stopping by to read this. I felt that I needed to add some information that’s important to this AU. 

**Historical AU**  
This story is based in the One Piece TV specials called the Boss Luffy Historical Specials. This is why I’m calling this a “Historical AU”. It’s not historical in the sense that it takes place in the past in our world, it’s still One Piece in a way. 

********

The Historical Specials are the One Piece episodes SP4, 291-292, 303, and 406-407. I have only watched the numbered episodes because I cannot find SP4 online. I read the summary of the episode on the OP Wiki page. 

**Romance Genre**  
I’m mostly used to soulmates AUs, so apologies in advance if the slow burn isn’t...well slow. I’m used to playing dating sim games, so tropes and style is going to be very influenced by them when doing slow burn. I guess this is a head’s up if parts look familiar to dating sim games.

These are the Voltage Inc. games I’ve played or at least partially played: Love Letter from Thief X, Be My Princess, My Sweet Bodyguard, Love Brings You Home, Pirates in Love, Kiss of Revenge, Rose in the Embers 

**Nonbinary!Reader**  
I would like to say this immediately since I feel like it’s an elephant in the room. I’m nonbinary, and I want to read stories with nonbinary characters. This is a writing challenge to myself because I was inspired by Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy and was blown away by there being an anthology about nonbinary people.

I want to have that energy, and I want to write a character going through life just discovering themselves. 

**Witch!Reader**  
This alternate reality of One Piece is left a little vague, so that gives me plenty of room to fill in the blanks. I am going to try and keep the historical feeling, but adding magic/witches/spirits/etc. to this world. I want to have magic be there and be a known thing (kind of like Kiki’s Delivery Service). 

**Pre-Time Skip**  
The OP Special takes place before the 2 year time-skip, so the newer characters may not appear (Trafalgar D. Water Law, Donflamingo, Boa Hancock, etc) This is mostly because I want to focus on the romance/personal relationships of the MC with Luffy and the main Strawhats Crew. Elements of the post time-skip might show up but it’s uncertain. For now, my main focus is the slow burn of Boss!Luffy x Witch!Reader. 


	2. Arriving

Usopp leaned back into the rickety chair, keeping his right foot on the table. He was bored. There was this silly thrill in leaning back and balancing himself on the chair’s hind legs. What else was there to do besides sleep like this friend/work-partner Luffy?

The strawhat wearing okapikki was fast asleep, snot bubble growing and shrinking as he rested. Luffy had his head on the table, ready to jolt awake if his boss Koza suddenly showed up. It’s not good being caught asleep on the job after all--not that it has stopped Luffy before.

He didn’t need to worry about Koza showing up during a snowstorm however.

“Haaa, why do we have to stay here all night~? Nobody’s gonna come here during a snowstorm,” Usopp mumbled, wanting some noise in the deafening silence in the police station. Snow had been predicted, so Usopp and Luffy didn’t mind being the last ones to leave their post. However...Usopp was now full of regret. The snow had upgraded to a snowstorm.

“If someone doesn’t come in asking for help, we’re braving the storm, okay Luffy?” Usopp asked. He glanced over at the sleeping man and rolled his eyes. _Wake the man up first, then ask, and THEN leave._

The ticking clock on the wall was at 11:59. _One more minute_ , Usopp thought as he watched the minute hand inch closer to the 12. _Just a bit more and we’re outta here at midnight. I’ll leave a note and--_

12:00 

The front door violently flung open.

Usopp fell back with a startled “Eeep!” and Luffy lazily opened his eyes as the snot bubble popped. A sleepy “I’m awake” was mumbled by Luffy as Usopp dusted himself off. Both okapikki looked at the stranger who was doing their best to shut the door so more snow wouldn’t enter the room.

You pat your thick jacket down of the excess snow and breathed a sigh of relief. Aware you were being watched, you tried to quickly move your scarf and pull down your hood so they could see you and hear you. 

On that snowy night, Usopp stuttered “W-w-welcome, how can, um, how can we help you?”. Luffy’s eyes instantly lit up as they met yours. He instinctively knew he was going to befriend the stranger who had walked through a snowstorm to their town’s police station.

“Hello, I would like to file a request to live as this town’s witch.”


	3. Flowers Along the Way

Walking home in the middle of the night was becoming a blur. You enjoyed working the nightshift, but something was off. It had been for a while. You weren’t sure when it began, but the numb feeling was becoming a more permanent feeling instead of something in passing. You had to physically shake your head to center yourself and re-adjust your bag. You had to admit that you felt stifled in your current life for a while now. You didn’t think you should complain because you were thankful for everything you had gotten in life, but that feeling... 

You had grown up in a small city where you were one of the very few witches. When you felt that your parent(s) had settled happily, you told them of your ideas about moving to a metropolitan city when you were old enough to work. You hadn’t found what your speciality was in magic, so maybe it was time to stop searching for it. Money didn’t grow on trees, and the job opportunities in the big city were tempting. 

You moved out to the city to live with your two friends, luckily witches like yourself. After filling out the needed paperwork to become residents, the three of you were among the many witches that were living in your new home. Your house was on the outskirts of the main city, giving you three a good balance of nature and city life.

You rubbed your eyes, suddenly realizing that you were home. It was a modestly sized house, perfect for three people and extra space. Taking a deep breath, you lifted your hand and canceled the spell on the enchanted door. It was six in the morning, one roommate should be awake, and the other would just start waking up.

“Welcome home,” your friend Daniela greeted you from the kitchen table. She was packed and about to head out for an exploration through a jungle for her job. A true Forest Witch if you ever thought of one. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, I...uh, I’m just out of it.”

“You’ve been feelin’ like that for a while.”

“I know, I just--it’s something to sleep on, ya know?” you stopped short, not wanting to worry her before her journey. “I bet you’re excited, this is the first time you and Michael are on an exhibition together.” You teased as you closed the door behind you. She blushed and you smirked. She shushed you, trying to hide her excitement about traveling with her beau/co-worker. 

“I’m gonna be in the Amazanba Forest for a year. Are you sure you don’t wanna talk about this uneasy feelin’ you’ve been havin’?”

You shook your head and took a seat across from her, letting your bag hit the floor. “Just make sure you contact me whenever you can, I’m gonna miss you. Your job is lucky to have you working for them. Your team is lucky to have you on board with them too. Hey, you might find a Devil Fruit along the way! ” 

Daniela gently placed her hands over yours on the table. “Just let me know if anythin’ happens, or you just need somebody to talk to.”

“Mooorning…” a drowsy voice greeted. You and Daniela looked over at Arboria, who was rubbing her eyes before stretching. “Will Michael be here to pick you up?”

“Yeah, in half ‘n hour. I’m goin’ to give you and (y/n) charms to put on mirrors so we can talk while I’m in Amazanba.”

“Das good...hm...food time.” Arboria yawned while Daniela handed you Arboria’s and your charms: two, small clear quartz. She said it was a set so you and Arboria could use them for each other. You had the usual trio meeting in the morning, but this time it revolved around adjusting to having one less person in the house. Michael arrived shortly afterwards to pick up Daniela. She bid you goodbye, and you were alone with Arboria. Your conversation with her was similar to the one with Daniela. Trying to hide sadness from an Empath Witch was near impossible.

“I’ll figure something out.” You tried to brush off the situation. “Anyways, your fiancée will be coming here soon huh?”

“She’s taken a week off from work so we can go over wedding plans, we’re taking our time with getting married. No point trying to rush it, I’d rather it be small and we take our time. Odette is taking a week off because she can, haha~” Arboria was amused, but you couldn’t help but be impressed that her fiancée could do that. 

You smiled, slightly dazed. You could feel that it was time for you to go to bed. You excused yourself as you prepared yourself for sleep. After doing your nightly routine--or morning routine--, you lay in bed dozing off. When you woke at three in the afternoon, you would need to rush to the Magick Gathering meeting. It was a small center for witches to meet once a week to just talk, console, and help each other whenever possible. You felt that you needed some kind of sign because while everybody else had found a calling, you felt unsure of where to start.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_You were in a field, and it confused you because you didn’t know how you got to this field. It was beautiful, green, and very wide. Looking around, you saw that the field stretched as far as you could see. You took a step forward, but then took a step back. Looking up at the blue sky that had a few scattered clouds, you felt like crying._

_Which direction should you take? Could you figure it out? You felt alone. Stifled, uncertain, scared. Could you do the right thing?_

_“Can...could somebody help me? Please?” You called out hoping somebody would answer._

_There was silence and you felt tears start to rush down your cheeks._

_“Please?”_

_A gentle wind began to blow, drying your tears. Because of the wind, the grass shifted and swayed. It began to move the way water does. From near your feet, a yellow-orange flower quickly bloomed. A trail of them began to grow at rapid speeds, and you knew you needed to run among the flower trails. The flower looked so familiar._

_“Is this a Daffodil flower?”_

_Suddenly, snowdrop flowers began to bloom along the daffodils. The yellow-orange flowers stopped blooming until it was only the snowdrops. The flowers weren’t making a trail anymore, but instead covered the entire field. You looked around confused. The entire floor was white with the flowers. You stopped in your tracks when you noticed a small house. It wasn’t a house exactly, but some kind of office building--no, a police station?_

_As you walked closer to it, you heard loud cracks and splitting wood. You looked up, and you saw the source of the noise. There was a tree growing at incredible speeds behind the station. The branches suddenly began to bloom pink flowers, until finally the tree was in full bloom._

_“What a beautiful tree, nah? Shishishi~”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your eyes shot open. It took you a few seconds to align yourself. 

And then your alarm rang, earning it a glare from you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flowers  
>  **Daffodil** flowers are known for their symbolism of new beginnings and rebirth  
>  **Snowdrop** symbolizes hope, the hope that this winter will finish too, that new warmth will enter our lives  
>  **Sakura** (Cherry blossoms) are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life.


	4. Sapphires Reflect the Truth

The afternoon was cloudy, and you were rushing to make it to Magick Gathering. The meetings were at four, and you had ten minutes to get there precisely on time. As you walked, you kept thinking about the dream you had. It was the first time a dream had felt that real to you. You didn’t remember it entirely, but you certainly remember the strong emotions from it. It was one thing to have a scary dream or a happy, relaxed dream...but this dream felt raw, you felt it down to your bones. Why? Why was it so intense?

You finally arrived at your destination. Your town’s main street was bustling with activity, but you went directly to the building that housed the Magick Gathering. You knocked on the door, and a tall, middleaged woman with coily, black hair answered the door. 

“Hi Ms. Erica”

“(Y/n), you made it just in time! You look positively sleepy.”

“Just woke up, haha~”

Once inside, Erica gave you a rundown about how some new witches had stopped by to see the Magick Gathering. They were two witches, husband and wife, traveling with a group called the Peachy Performers. They were a traveling circus group stationed in your town for a few days. It sounded like fun, and maybe you would get a chance to see them perform.

You were stunned to see so many people in the house. It seemed that the two witches had brought along some people from the circus, so it was fourteen people in the house instead of the usual five. 

It was a welcoming environment thankfully. Usually you’d feel your nerves start to bundle into a tight ball when it was a lot of people. Maybe it was because they were dressed so colorfully. It helped you not let your social anxiety get the best of you. All the attention was on them.

“Hello everybody~” Erica clapped her hands to gather everybody’s attention. “So with everybody here, let’s introduce ourselves and have tea. One of our new guests mentioned the wonderful tradition of the Way of Tea from their homeland. I would love for us to experience it as we get to introduce ourselves.”

_Oh, now I’m feeling anxious._

Two tables were pushed together to make enough room to sit ten people. A third table was brought it--borrowed from a kind neighbor--so it could sit the final four. You were sitting at this table with Erica, the ringleader of the Peachy Performers, and their partner. 

“My name is Erica,” Ms. Erica spoke up first for the introduction at your small table. “My pronouns are she, her, and hers. I’m a witch who specializes in divinations.” She gestured to her necklace that had a beautifully polished, round sapphire. “I’m a Crystal Witch.”

“My my~ So interesting!” The ringleader’s partner gasped. Erica looked over at you and gave you an encouraging nod. You swallowed nervously, but knew that you were among kind people.

“My name is (y/n),” you took a slow breath. “My pronouns are they, them, and theirs. I’m nonbinary...and, um, I’m a witch…s-still learning my skills”. The duo looked at you with nothing but admiration.

“You have a lovely voice, it surprised me~” the ringleader cleared their throat. “Call me Ivankov, my pronouns are he and him for when I’m feeling masculine. She and her when I’m feminine. I’m genderfluid, so I’m a surprise you could say.” 

You sighed in relief, it was great meeting somebody who was also nonbinary. 

“I ate the Horu Horu no Mi, so I can control the hormones of the human body.”Ivankov winked at your surprised expression. “I can quickly pass as cisgender if I wanted to. I am happy to help any transgender folk with hormones, but my powers can only change someone momentarily.”

“Ah,” you realized. “Since hormones have to keep being applied, your powers are a sorta one-shot thing.”

“Exactly!”

“An incredible fruit, wouldn't you say?” Ivankov’s partner said to you. “Hi dears! I’m Caroline, she/her/hers pronouns. I’m genderfluid too but prefer femme pronouns only, nice to meet you~”

Today was turning out to be an eventful morning. Well, afternoon actually. 

An hour was the usual time reserved for the Magick Gathering, but half an hour was added because everybody was enjoying themselves so much. You found yourself becoming tired however. You weren’t prepared for the extra time. Once the hour and a half was coming close, Ivankov was showing you and Erica his personal collection of brochures from cities Peachy Performers had visited. 

“This was where we want to go in the future,” Ivankov set a picture down that showed a beautiful castle that had a uniquely Eastern design when compared to the Western castles you’ve been exposed to. “Our friend Mii-chan is from here.” 

Ivankov gestured to the femme dressed person with a beard who had been pouring tea for everybody. When hearing their name mentioned, the person lifted their hand to wave at your group. They almost over poured tea into another person’s cup by accident. 

“They’re from a country called Grand Jipangu, these are pictures from their town Alablue*.”

Something tickled in the back of your mind.

“Mii-chan is so thankful to you Ms. Erica,” Caroline added.

“Why is that?”

“They love getting the chance to do the Way of Tea, helps with feelings of homesickness!”

“I’m thankful they brought it up because this is lovely,” Erica finished the tea she had in her cup. “(Y/n) and Theresa are fond of tea, so I wanted them to certainly try it.” You blushed at being brought up, but nodded.

“I’m very thankful, the tea is delicious.” You held up your cup for emphasis, only to be caught off guard when the one called Mii-chan began pouring you another cup. “O-Oh, thank you so much.” 

“You’re welcome. Oh! That’s the shogun’s castle,” Mii-chan gestured to the picture in the middle of the table. There was a small pile of brochures and pictures that Ivankov had made when showing you and Erica the places they’d been. “Shogun Cobra, he’s a kind ruler. The castle is the beauty of the city. Second only to the great Sakura tree during the Hanami festival.” 

“Could I see more pictures of the town?” You asked without thinking. The feeling from before had gotten stronger, and you weren’t sure why. Something about the castle’s design reminded you of something.

“Sure thing, let me set this down quickly.” Mii-chan handed the tea kettle to somebody and pulled out their picture wallet from their dress pocket. Picture among picture showed the town’s landscapes, buildings, and citizens. “I’m hoping we’ll get a chance to visit soon.”

“It looks like a wonderful town. What do you think (y/n)?” Erica cut her sentence short when she saw you holding a picture, absolutely transfixed. “(Y/n)?” 

“I’ve...I’ve seen this,” you whispered.

“(Y/n)?” Erica called to you, making you look up. Suddenly, there was a flash in her eyes, and her sapphire had a slight shine to it. “You had a premonition.” Ivankov, Caroline, and Mii-chan looked at each other confused until Caroline snapped her fingers in realization.

“Ms. Erica’s speciality is premonitions! She must be using her magic~” 

Erica hovered her hands over her sapphire. You, along with the three Peachy Performers watched her, eager to know what she was going to say. You’d only seen her use her powers once, but now you were the one who the premonition was for. The dream hadn’t been just a dream then.

“You followed the path of flowers, that’s good,” Erica began, and you nodded. “Your dream will become reality, a new beginning if you find the place you’re holding.” You looked down at the picture in your hand. “It’s going to be cold, but the warmth that follows will have you see the spring in the winter. Don’t give up, the snowdrops surrounding you mean well.”

“Haah~ What could she mean?” Caroline whispered to her partner, excited to see a premonition reading in person. Ivankov shrugged, but pointed out that the vision was for you, so you’d be the one to know.

“You know what the building is, right (y/n)?”

“This is...it’s a police station.” Erica nodded. “I need to find this police station, all the way in Grand Jipangu?” Erica smiled and the sapphire’s light began to decrease. “My journey is going to take me to a new place? But I have a job, I don’t have a speciality in magic, how do I--?”

“It’s understandable that you’re scared, but you have your resources don’t you?” Erica asked. You looked down at the picture. You knew it even without her asking, you knew you wanted to see Grand Jipangu. You wanted to live there, even if it meant only for a year, but you wanted--no needed--to go there. Your soul, magic, whatever it was, channeled your dreams to give you a premonition. 

“I took pictures of Alablue so I wouldn’t be too homesick,” Mii-chan spoke up. They pointed at the picture you were holding. “I took pictures of so many things, that little by little I threw some away. I thought I’d throw this one out by now, but I never did. I want you to have it. Think about visiting Alablue...and I’m not just saying that because I’m from there.”

“I...I...t-thank you,” you blinked back tears. It suddenly felt like things were becoming aligned. “I’ll think about this.”

“Remember (y/n). There’s no decision that’s right or wrong. It’s a choice that’s yours to make.” You looked at Erica and smiled, thankful she was aware how you tend to overthink. 

“I’ll think about it.”

But you knew what you had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve called the town Alablue as a combination of Alabasta (the kingdom that King Cobra rules) and East Blue (where Luffy is from). I don’t remember the special episodes saying the name of the town. The Grand Jipangu seems to be the name of the “country” so I’ve named the town where everybody is at Alablue.


	5. Asking for Help is Human Nature

After work, you’re sitting at the kitchen table with a medium sized mirror in your right hand. You held the enchanted clear quartz in your left hand, a soft green glow emitting from it. Daniela had said the colors meant different things. 

Green: she held the crystal and could talk  
Blue: a message had been left for you  
Red: the quartz needed sunlight

Arboria walked into the kitchen, awake early that day because she had made plans with Odette. “Mooorning, oh good, crystal’s ready so we can talk to Daniela.” You nodded, and placed the crystal on the mirror. It suddenly sunk into the mirror’s surface as if it had been placed on water. Once the ripples stopped, the mirror showed Daniela sitting in a tent as the morning began to creep up on the horizon. 

“Hiii! We’re on our way to the first stop before getting on the boat, I have a good thirty minutes to talk.”

“That’s good, be safe okay?” You were nervous to bring up the topic that’s been on your mind for a week after the last Magick Gathering. You steeled your nerves so you could get to the point immediately. “There’s something I want to talk about to you two, so let me start from the beginning.” 

You explained how you had an odd dream, but it was a premonition according to Ms. Erica. You told them what you remembered, how you got the picture from Mii-chan, and how you were thinking about going to Grand Jipangu. You wanted to ask for advice, help, and their opinions on you moving to a different place.

“I’m sorry that it’s so sudden,” you mumbled while looking at the table. You were unsure of how they would handle the news, so you didn’t look them in the eyes. Their cheerful tones surprised you, however.

“That’s awesome!” Daniela’s excitement had her move the mirror around before she remembered she needed to steady it. “With me savin’ up for my mini-home, and you gettin’ a new place, Odette doesn’t need to worry about movin’ to a new place or anythin’.” 

Your eyes sparkled as realization hit you.

“Arboria, you can live here with Odette, so you don’t have to worry about extra expenses.” 

It had been a topic the three of you had set aside for the time being: what to do with the house once Arboria married and Daniela moved to her own place after the Amazanba Forest trip? The idea of living with strangers made you anxious, so Daniela had offered her new home until you found a new place. The possibility of a new place for you already meant the plans could be changed.

“I’m sad you’ll be moving,” Arboria spoke up, but then smiled. “But I’m really, really happy with the idea of living here with Odette. She’s been taking care of everything else, so saying that I have a home for us already chosen would be great! I actually don’t want to leave this house, I really like it here.”

“What’re you going to do about housin’?” Daniela brought up. You were prepared for the questions. You had expected them and rehearsed for them, but the fact that they were excited for you was plus. 

“There’s a witch at Magick Gathering who makes house tesseracts*. She’s the Cosmic Witch who I’ve talked about that works in real estate. I talked about the budget and what I was looking for, and she said she’s already got a house for me in mind. She’s holding it for me.” 

You hummed in thought before adding, “It’s very much a ‘one-person’ house but I think that’d be great for me in a new environment. I’m thinking of living on the outskirts of Alablue until...you know...I feel like Alablue is home.” You crossed your fingers in hopes that you were welcomed to the town in Grand Jipangu.

“Perfect! Daniela, you have a good fifteen to twenty minutes before your boat arrives, right?” Arboria asked. Your friend in the mirror nodded. “Let’s have a meeting now about helping (y/n) with their move.” Your two friends gave each other a thumbs up, and you couldn’t be more thankful for the support. “And don’t worry (y/n), you’ll always have a home to come back to. Odette and I will make room for you.”

“My mini-home is an option too!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Work was...okay. 

You didn’t love the job, but you didn’t hate it. Financially it was great, and that’s how you were able to spontaneously decide to move. You had enough money to your name thanks to this job, and you were grateful. It paid well because it was a job that needed to be done and it was during the night, so you were feeling a little guilty as you requested a talk with your boss. 

“In a month, I’ll be moving.” You started as you sat in front of the man and woman who kept the workflow and building in order. “I thought it’d be important to say this in advance. I hope this isn’t too last minute.”

“No, not at all,” your boss Carmen smiled, she gestured to her co-worker Thomas. He was already at his desk pulling out paperwork. “People usually do two weeks in advance about leaving.” 

“That’s right,” Thomas pulled out the file he was looking for, your file. “We’re always hiring because this is a pretty daunting job. We’re used to people leaving for new work, but you worked here a pretty good while.” Thomas handed Carmen your file. “So no worries about leaving for a new job, we’re happy to be your references.”

“We’ll keep your file,” Carmen said as she began writing down notes on your resignation form to then put away in your file. It would stay there for a while until the final two weeks where closer. “If you move back, don’t hesitate to reapply for this position.”

You nodded, a heavy weight off your shoulders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you arrive home after work, you are greeted by Odette. She had arrived at the house about five minutes before you. You knew she was there to pick up Arboria since they had made plans to talk about visiting Odette’s parents. It was their day off from work, so both women were going to spend the day together. 

“Goodmorning, I chanted the spell to let myself in.”

Even though the door had an enchantment, it could momentarily be dropped if the magic word was said. Odette, not being a witch, needed the phrase since she couldn’t do magic to shut off the enchantment like you or Daniela. 

“Morning, oh and before you head out, I want to talk to you about something.” Odette raised an eyebrow, she had no idea what you could possibly want to tell her.

“We get this house to ourselves?!” Odette rose from her chair in surprise, both hands on the table as she leaned across it. You leaned back slightly, buttered toast still in your mouth. You hummed as approval while Odette sat back down and cleared her throat. “Oh wow, thank you.”

“Daniela, (y/n), and I talked about it.” Arboria stated as she cooked another egg. “We’ll have the place to ourselves. Daniela already has her things packed because she’s moving after coming back from the Amazanba. (Y/n) will be moving in about a month.” She flipped the egg. “With us staying here, we don’t have to worry about either selling this home or new people moving in with (y/n) since they’ll also have their own place.”

“It’s kinda soon, but it’s something I feel that I have to do.” You finished the last of your snack. “I’ll make sure to come back for your wedding. There’s no way I’ll miss that.”

Odette’s grin let you know how she was already prepared for the wedding. Her and Ardoria would’ve been fine with a quick wedding, so the wedding was mostly for friends and family. “You won’t have to worry about rushing. We’re taking our time. By the way, one more important thing.”

“What is it?” You and Ardoria asked in unison. Your roommate set breakfast (sunnyside eggs, toast, and coffee) in front of her fiancée and a plate for herself. Odette thanked her before turning her attention to you. 

“Let me know exactly when you’re leaving. Leave travel expenses to me.” Odette regarded yours and Ardoria’s surprised expressions with amusement. “It’s a thank you and best regards to your new journey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> House tesseracts: In geometry, the tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. In sci-fi and stories, tesseracts have been used as being able to put large items into smaller items (like in Doctor Who and their TARDIS). In my story, Cosmic Witches (magic speciality being transmutation) can bend space, so it’s easy to put a house into a small, carrible item. So house tesseracts are great for having a pre-built house suddenly appear in a location.


	6. The Witching Hour Arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song recommendation: Season of the Witch by Karen Elson

The large boat swayed, the temperature dropped, and you put on a pair of gloves to keep warm. As you saw Grand Jipangu on the horizon, you thought about how maybe you should have waited longer before moving to Alablue. 

Winter would be over soon, so spring was around the corner. You had hoped that the colder times were on their way out, but maybe you had lucked out. You shrugged, tightening your thick jacket to yourself. It was too late now to go back and wait. Besides, you had walked through heavy snow before when going home. You expected you could do it again.

The ship soon docked, and you adjusted your bag that held a book, clothes, and your house tesseract. Everything was packed/arranged in your tiny cottage, so your bag only held basic things you needed to keep occupied while on your trip. 

You got off the ship along with the other passengers, and almost everybody had somebody waiting for them at the harbour. You made your way past the crowd so you could go to the travel advisory center. Once inside, you waited in line. It was a short wait, and you asked about directions to Alablue.

“A small caravan will be passing by the main city where Alablue is,” the man behind the desk said as he checked the schedule. “Yes, it’ll pass by there. There were reports that it’s snowing, so the group might steer clear from there.”

“It’s okay, I just need to head to the heart of the town.”

“The caravan will be leaving in twenty minutes. They’re gathering outside to make sure they have enough passengers.” The man nodded to the window where you saw men packing luggage into the carriage. “I hope you’re ready for the cold, the snow is staying longer than expected.”

“I see...and yes, it’s more than I thought it’d be.”

“Have a safe trip. Oh! Are you visiting someone in Alablue?” The man asked before you left. You hesitated, not wanting to stay longer and possibly explain premonitions/sudden move/being a witch/etc. 

“Y-Yeah, I’m visiting someone important.” You answered. It wasn’t a lie. You were sure saying you wanted to possibly meet the shogun would get a jawdrop. You wondered if you’d be lucky enough to meet him.

“That’s wonderful, have a safe trip (l/n)-san,” the man at the front desk waved as you went out the door. You waved back, a small smile appearing on your face. You were very happy that the honorifics in Grand Jipangu were neutral. You were used to four (Ms., Mrs., Mr., and Mx.,), but now you didn’t have to politely ask for the neutral Mx. option.

You introduced yourself to the people taking everybody on the caravan, stating that you were hoping to be dropped off at Alablue. You were told that they would stop by close to it, but the incoming snow was leaving the situation a little unpredictable. You understood and said that they could drop you off as close as they felt was safe for the group. 

Once you were in a carriage with five other people, the caravan began to move. The strangers with you were quiet at first, but then began to talk among themselves. Small talk, questions, and then stories. 

“We’ve just gotten back from our honeymoon trip,” said a smiling woman. The husband ‘tsk’ed embarrassed, but you could tell he was happy his wife was so happy. You leaned against the wall of the carriage staring out the window, ready to start dozing off. “What about you young man?” 

You blinked a few times before realizing that the wife was talking towards your general direction. “Are you visiting someone in Grand Jipangu? A friend? A special lady?” Ah, she was talking to you.

“I’m…” You tried to keep your voice even. No need to panic even a little. “I’m hoping to meet somebody, so you could say I’m visiting.”

“Oh, a young lady? I’m sorry--!”

“It’s alright, please don’t apologize.” You noticed she was still turning red in embarrassment, so you asked her, “You said you’re coming back from your honeymoon, where did you go? Where has everybody been?” This question prompted everybody to talk about their travels, so it shifted the focus away from you. 

You pulled a picture out of your pocket, looking it over again. You have looked at the police station in the picture so many times that you’d memorized it. Still, you kept the picture close just to be sure you found the right place. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you sure you want to head there? It’s already late at night!”

The driver of your carriage asked/yelled over the howling winds. You looked up at the sky as clouds became denser and denser with each second. You wondered if you should stay with the caravan, maybe stop at another city for the time being. 

“It’s okay, thank you for your help!” You answered back. 

At your response, the driver nodded and wished you good luck. He ushered his horse-drawn carriage to rejoin the rest of the caravan. Before it left, the newly wed couple leaned their heads out the window. The wife shouted words of encouragement while her husband yelled advice on how to best avoid getting too cold.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for!!” and “Avoid puddles that look like they’re solid ice!” were the last things you heard from your carriage. You waved goodbye and then faced the town’s direction. 

_Maybe I’m actually just an idiot,_ you thought to yourself as you began walking. The wind started to die down a bit the closer you were to the large town. _Or maybe I can do this._

The winds and snow had died down while you were walking into the town, so you thought you were in luck. You came across some nice citizens who were going about their business and going into their houses preparing for the cold. After getting the courage to talk, you approached people to ask if they knew how to get to the police station in your picture. From person to person, you got closer to your destination.

“Oh yes, yes, you head this way, and go right, until you see the restaurant Pinwheel and uh…” a bald man--though he had two brown hairs/antennas on his head--with a brown, fluffy beard mumbled as he tried to remember where the station was. 

His daughter, a young woman with blond hair--also with antennas--, smiled sympathetically. 

“I’m sorry I can’t help more, we’ve recently moved here.” You figured as much since the two of them had a small set of wings on their backs. 

“It’s okay, thank you so much for your help.” The daughter pointed at the direction you needed to head towards.

“My father’s directions are right, but it will require some walking.” The woman looked up at the sky and regarded the clouds with some concern. The snow was going to start falling again. “The snow is starting to come down again, will you be okay on your own?”

“I’m okay, I’ll be sure to be careful.” 

Your stubbornness was incredible, and you found yourself in the middle of a snowstorm ten minutes later. 

_I’m a freakin’ idiot!_ The snow was falling at an angle, so you didn’t have the pleasure to enjoy how beautiful the town looked covered in snow. _I should have stopped at the inn I saw after passing the Pinwheel._ You knew you could’ve waited for the snow to stop. You knew this most likely was the last snow of winter before spring and you could’ve waited, and yet--!

“I’m here.” 

You whispered to yourself as you shivered. You were in a new country in a new city. After waiting and planning and everything...you were finally here and you didn’t want to have any setbacks. You pulled the picture from your pocket. You were bound to be close, right?

A sudden gust of wind whipped the picture from your gloved hand. 

“No! W-Wait!” 

You chased after the floating picture, but it only got further from you. It was going to get lost in the whiteness of the snow, and you felt tears prickle at the corner of your eyes. Whether your tears were caused by the cold wind or your frustration you weren’t sure. It came to the point where you lost sight of the picture completely. You stopped in your tracks, looking around.

Déja vu suddenly hit you. The wind, the white floor beneath you, and finally...the police station. 

You’d found it. It was there in front of you. You walked towards the door, and opened it.

The wall clock inside read 12:00

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an account on Wattpad by the same name (desertspells) if you're interested to say hi there, I'd really appreciate it.


	7. Explanation of Magic

Usopp poured three cups of tea while the snow continued to fall outside. You removed your gloves and scarf and put them on the coat hanger by the front desk. Luffy smiled and shifted in his chair, unable to sit still for long. The three of you were seated around a small table that Usopp had moved to the center of the station so you could talk one-on-one with them.

“So you said you wanted to be this town’s witch..?”

Usopp began after putting down the kettle. You nodded, and then wondered if you should’ve waited to introduce yourself first before stating your intentions. After the initial shock of a stranger arriving, the two police officers welcomed you--each in their own way. 

The curly haired one said his name was Usopp. He introduced himself a little nervously because of the surprise that somebody appeared at midnight, during a snowstorm...saying they were a witch.

“That’s so cool~!” the officer who said his name was Monkey D. Luffy smiled, excitement practically radiating off of him. He looked absolutely fascinated by you. You wondered why...but then again you might’ve come across as odd with your statement after shutting the door.

“Yes, and I’m so sorry for coming here so late at night.” You took a breath and relax your shoulders. You were in a new environment, and you had promised yourself that you’d be more bold in saying who you were. “My name is (l/n), (y/n). My pronouns are they, them, and theirs. I hope I can answer your questions regarding my request.” You bowed. “Thank you for having me here.”

“It’s no problem, no problem,” Luffy responded. “Thank you for coming here.” He gave you a bow in return, which earned a double take from Usopp. He was a little surprised that Luffy was being polite. Maybe with you being so polite, it made him feel like he needed to return the gesture?

_No way, no way, Luffy doesn’t usually pick up on stuff like that._ Usopp mulled it over and remembered the way Luffy talks to the shogun--the most important person--in a very informal way.

Usopp blinked and quickly bowed to you too. In thinking it over, he’d almost forgotten to bow in return. “Right! Thank you. Ano...I actually don’t know what to do now?” Usopp admitted, embarrassed. “I don’t know if this town has had a witch before?”

“You/We haven’t?” You and Luffy asked in unison.

“W-Well, I think I’ve heard rumors in passing that there was one many years ago. Why did you come here to a police station (l/n)-san?”

“When registering, witches usually go to a town/city’s public office, so I thought a police station would be ideal.” You were going to leave the premonition side of it out. You were going to focus on getting approved to stay. “It’s kind of the same as moving here to be a resident, but just letting the ones in charge know I’m here. I think, according to what I’ve read, I have to get the royal family and/or shogun’s approval.” 

You shrugged. “Whether or not I meet him in person is up to him. I just know it’s his approval I need. I can make my case by filling out a form and then demonstrating what I can do.” Your tea had cooled down a little, so you took a sip from your cup. “Coming to the station would be better than suddenly asking to meet the shogun.”

“Ooh, so that’s all you need to do?” Luffy tilted his head, and then grinned when you nodded. “That’s easy, the shogun’s a really good guy, he’s definitely going to say you can live here!” The young man’s enthusiasm made you smile. His energy was so refreshing you found yourself instantly relaxing. His confidence that you’d be allowed to stay made you feel a little better.

“I know who I can ask,” Usopp snapped his fingers and stood up. You and Luffy looked at him in confusion. “Koza-sama! He’s probably still at the castle since he’s a hard worker. I can try calling using the Den Den Mushi to call his office.”

“That’s a good idea, Usopp. Our boss is probably still there, even though it’s midnight.”

Usopp walked over to the desk by the wall to open a drawer. He woke the snail that was asleep in a makeshift nest. After the snail was fully awake, Usopp spun the dial to input his boss’s office number. You got quiet and heard bits and pieces of the conversation. 

You wondered if the form looked like the one from where you used to live. You didn’t get to dwell in it too long because Luffy then had your attention. He asked you whether you wanted more tea and if you were still cold since you zoned out. You assured him you were just thinking about how to make your case.

Luffy crooked his head. “What case do you need to make?”

“Hai, hm, yes a witch ...they said so. Yes...in the castle? Well the snow has died down a lot.” You looked out the window after hearing Usopp talk on the line. The amount of snow falling had significantly dropped. “I’ll ask. (L/n)-san?”

“Yes?”

“If you’re okay with walking for about thirty minutes, Koza-sama said he could have your form ready to fill out. He can be at the entrance with your papers.” You heard the man on the other line tell Usopp that he could come to the station but that might take longer since there was still work he had to finish.

“That’s okay with me. I can go to the shogun’s castle.”

“Got it.” 

Usopp relayed your answer and then hung up. He thought about telling Luffy to go and meet their boss instead. If one of them could make the trip easier for you and had to go out into the cold, Usopp preferred being the one staying inside in the warmth. He nodded to himself. He wasn’t being too selfish, Luffy got to sleep the whole time until you showed up so it was only fair right?

“Thank you for finding out about the form.” You fidgeted with your empty teacup. “I don’t mind going to meet Koza-san myself instead of him coming all the way here. I’ve troubled you all already as it is.”

“Not at all, shishishi~” Luffy stated. “We’re here to help. Besides, Usopp doesn’t mind walking in the snow now that it’s stopped.”

“O-Oi…”

“Stay here and get warmed up. Usopp’ll get your paperwork.”

“Really?” You looked over at the curly haired man, and your genuinely thankful eyes made it impossible for Usopp to deny Luffy’s words. He couldn’t ask Luffy to go now.

“R-Right...Right! Usopp-sama will brave through the (now died down) snow storm and get you your papers! You don’t need to worry about anything (l/n)-san, so you can rest here.”

“Way to go Usopp!” Luffy cheered.

_Idiot! I have to go through the snow because of you!_

Once Usopp had bundled up for the cold, he was out the door. It was only you and Luffy at the station. You wondered if you would make it to the inn you saw by the Pinwheel restaurant in time to secure a room. Would they still be open? You hoped so.

“Ah, (y/n)-san,” It was interesting that Luffy was already using your first name. You weren’t too surprised, you had a feeling he was very informal in general. “I still don’t get it. What form do you need? Why do you need to make a case to be this town’s witch? You’re a witch and you’re here. So...you’re this town’s witch!”

“I, uh, I just got here though.”

“Ano...what’s a witch by the way?”

You furrowed your brow confused. He was asking with full honesty, so that probably meant there really wasn’t a witch around. Devil fruit users were more common than witches, so the only thing he probably knew about witches were word-of-mouth stories. 

You straighten your posture and begin explaining to the best of your abilities. You tried to abridge as much information as you could. You didn’t want to overwhelm or bore Luffy with the amount of studying you had done in trying to find your magic specialty. 

Someone being a witch was random, it wasn’t something inherited or given to someone by being around witches. Witches’ powers varied, some could have very strong, powerful magic and others could have very little, low magic. Magic that was low could be gone if the witch didn’t continue using their magic/practice their magic. You fell into the latter, but didn’t mention it to Luffy. 

Magic had many forms but mostly fell into the following categories.

**_Enchantment_** : being able to place a spell on an item. With enchantment, low magic could make an item lucky and strong magic could enchant a sword to make it never dull. You mentioned that Vivre Cards were made from enchanted paper infused with a person’s fingernail. Enchanted items tended to be sold, like the communication crystals that Daniela gave you.

**_Elemental_** : water, fire, earth, air, and spiritual. This type of magic was popular for being the type of magic most easily seen. Witches can mix the elements as well. (Water+Air=Ice, Earth+Fire=Lava, Spiritual+Element= Summoning a nature spirit). Witches that specialized in spiritual magic tended to be very empathetic, thus they could summon earthy and otherworldly spirits. Arboria was an example you knew.

**_Deviation_** : magic that took glimpses into the future. Fortune tellers made this magic well known. You knew Ms. Erica had pretty powerful deviation magic because she saw and interpreted your dream without you telling her what you saw. She would use crystals to hone in on her magic.

**_Transmutation_** : magic that changed the properties of a creature, object, or environment. This magic was made famous by the “prince turned into a frog” story. That was very powerful magic. For low magic, it was something less dramatic.

“Here’s an example” You rubbed your hands together to get some friction. After enough heat and concentration, you cupped your hands together and blew air into the opening between your thumbs. A soft glow emitted from within your hands. Luffy leaned in and watched with shining eyes. You created a Will-o'-wisp and explained that you had merely turned the energy, air, and heat from the friction/your breath into light instead. 

“So cooool~!” You bit back a smile at Luffy’s praise. A simple spell like that was something witches learned early on by accident, but it was nice when someone liked something you did with your magic instead of calling it a “simple party trick.” You closed your hand around the light to put it out.

“What happens if a witch eats a Devil fruit? Do you get super-extra magic??”

“No, not at all,” you were smiling, happy that Luffy was so invested in your talk. “A witch that eats a Devil fruit gets sick, a stomach ache usually, and the fruit loses its power. Whatever ability it had is transferred somewhere else. Even after eating the fruit--but still not getting the power--a witch can still swim. We don’t get the Devil fruit’s curse.”

“Really? Hmm,” Luffy crossed his arms and thought hard. “I wonder what fire and Gomu Gomu no Mi would be like~?”

“Gomu gomu no Mi?”

“Yeah!” Luffy pulled his cheek, and pulled, and then kept pulling.

You leaned back with mouth agape. You had never seen anything like that. You knew of Logia fruits (they were like elemental magic) and Zoan fruits (they were like animal transmutation spells) but Paramecia fruits were such wild cards that you didn’t know how to wrap your mind around their powers. 

Luffy released his cheek and it snapped back into place. He had a big grin as you closed your mouth. “I’m a rubberman! How cool would it be if I could punch with my fist on fire?!” 

You laughed and agreed, that would be cool. You kept talking, suddenly forgetting your intention of keeping the conversation short. 

You talked about subjects like the different titles (wizard, enchantress, witch, mage, spellcaster), witches around the world, different names for magic, etc. You didn’t realize you were rambling at one point because Luffy didn’t show a hint of disinterest. Your enthusiasm was making the “lesson” fun for him so he couldn’t stop listening.

At one point, Luffy asked the question he still hadn’t gotten an answer to; he’d almost forgotten about the question himself: Why did you need a form to be the town’s witch? 

You explained how witches and Devil fruit users had similarities, but witches weren’t weak to the sea or sea-stone. Filling a form and being classified as a witch made the ones in charge feel safer that a witch wasn’t there with malintent. If their magic was powerful enough, they could even be hired/protected by the ones in charge. 

“I see, so you’ll be protected by the royal family.” You shook your head, which earned a confused, “Why not?”

“I don’t think my magic is strong enough to be recognized...or to warrant protection.” You looked down at the table and you gripped your pants. “I...I guess it’s a bit bold to ask to be recognized as this town’s witch. Maybe it’s a pride thing. I do intend to work though.” You looked up at Luffy. “If I’m not recognized as this town’s witch, I’ll still at least be a resident and work to make a living.”

Luffy hummed, and looked unconvinced. You fidgeted with your hands under the table. You felt that it was a long shot to be the town’s witch. In the big city where you used to live, it was difficult to be recognized as a witch because witches with low magic didn’t have the kind of magic people would hire them for. 

The city had magic users with a large range of magical powers, so if witches wanted to register themselves, they had to be talented. You were in an entirely different environment now, but the shogun’s approval would probably be based on how useful your magic was. And your magic was...well.

“You’re going to be this town’s witch.” You blinked and were pulled from your train of thought. Luffy looked at you and said with absolute confidence, “If being a witch is important to you and is a part of who you are, you’re a witch.” He then smiled that smile that made it impossible to disagree with him.

Usopp returned after forty-five minutes. He had run to the castle because he wanted to avoid the possibility of the snow picking up again. He was out of breath, but he assured you he was fine. 

“All in a day’s work of the great Usopp!...Just...just give me a few seconds to sit down.” While you put away the papers into your bag, Usopp told you to come back to the station once you’d filled them out.

“The shogun is out for a diplomatic meeting, so he’ll be back in about a month.” Usopp stated after drinking a glass of water. “But you can give your papers to somebody here and it’ll be sent straight to the castle. I’ll be leaving a memo here about your visit.”

“Come back and give the papers to me,” Luffy insisted, which earned an unimpressed look from Usopp who mumbled something about Luffy being forgetful. “You’ll get approved real quick!” 

“I’ll come here first thing in the morning,” You promised. “What time will the station open?”

“It’s always open, just that right now,” Usopp gestured vaguely at the snow outside. “Somebody else is going to come to switch shifts with us at three.” You looked at the clock on the wall and realized you’d been there a little over an hour. “I’d say six or seven would be a good time when someone is here to deliver your papers.”

“Okay, I’ll come back then. I’m going to stay at an inn I spotted on my way here.” You bowed to both men and put your jacket back on. After securing your scarf and gloves, you were out the door. Usopp sighed, looking forward to heading home and getting into a warm blanket. It was time for some well earned sleep.

“Shishi~ I can’t wait to see (y/n)-san again,” Luffy grinned at Usopp. “They’re going to be the town’s witch!”

“You’re pretty confident on that, but it’ll still take at least a month to make it official” Usopp remarked. “The shogun isn’t here to approve the request.”

“Yeah, but Vivi can right? She’s the princess.”

“......OH MY GOD THAT’S RIGHT!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used the “an accused witch who sank was considered innocent, while floating indicated witchcraft” element here to be a way to test a witch versus a Devil fruit user.


	8. New Home Means New Challenges

You were able to get a room at the inn, and you began setting down your items on the table. It was a warm and comfortable room that you were grateful you were able to have. You glanced at the bed, but knew you weren’t going to use it. It was three in the morning, but you were wide awake. Your previous job had made you nocturnal. 

You crooked your head side to side and stretched. You were going to take your time in filling out the papers before walking back to the police station. You wondered if you would get the chance to turn in the completed paperwork to Luffy like he’d asked, but you doubted it. 

_Luffy-san and Usopp-san are probably going to sleep now. I’ll write them a thank you note since I might not see them later._

The paperwork took you three hours because you would go back and reread everything. You wanted to make sure you sounded as thorough as possible when it came to talking about your past and magic. No detail could be left behind about what you could do. You thought that maybe you could still be the town’s witch despite having low magic. You frowned when you went over one particular question. 

What is your magic specialty?

Your answer: No Answer

After staring at your response, you sighed. It wasn’t an unusual answer, many witches would answer this, but you were still troubled by it. A witch’s magic specialty was magic that naturally “clicked” with them. 

When you talked about magic specialty to Aboria and Daniela, the former had said “It’s kind of hard to describe? Like, you do it and then practicing it just flows naturally?” Daniela said she would also respond with No Answer to the question, but her magic was kind of a jack of all trades. You felt that your magic was kind of there, but you could not do much with it.

You kept writing on the space left after the question. You could not answer the question with simply Divination or Elemental, but you could make your case about how you practiced all forms of magic. You were trying, and you hoped the royal family would feel your determination through the ink. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the first hints of dawn hit your window, you rubbed your eyes and looked up from your book. The clock on the wall read 6:00 and you figured it would be a good time to leave. You pulled a new outfit from your bag and went to take a shower. You could eat the complimentary breakfast quickly after washing up, and then you would check out of the room. It was 6:45 by the time you had done everything you needed. You walked to the police station as people were beginning to wake up for the day.

On the way there, you noted that you stood out with your outfit since it wasn’t the awase the women wore or the hakama* the men had. You made a note to set time aside to go shopping. You thought about getting hakamas, and maybe you could have a yukata for the summer. You would think about that more once you were at a store.

You arrived at the station and peeked in. As you had guessed, Luffy wasn’t there. You took a deep breath and knocked before entering. The man there yawned, but greeted you. 

He asked for your name, and you told him. He knew you were coming because of the note Usopp had left, and he accepted the file you had carefully spent the entire night filling out. You were told how you should come back in a month to see if the shogun had finished looking over your files and had an answer. You thanked him, and asked for a favor.

“I was helped by two very kind officers, and I was hoping you could give them this letter.” The envelope had a short note stating your gratitude. You bowed to the officer and left, wondering if Luffy and Usopp had gotten a good rest.

Before leaving, you saw a map of the city on the wall. “Excuse me, do you have a map like this one that I can have?”

You walked outside with your own map that gave you an overview of the whole city. The cities close by were North Blue, South Blue, and West Blue. The shogun’s castle was in East Blue, the capital. Alablue--were you were--was a subset of East Blue. You hummed in thought, seeing a small island on the map. There was no name on it, but the man at the station said that the shogun was hoping to start expansion there for the people. 

“This city is pretty big….” 

You looked over the map again. You folded it and put it away into your bag, only to pull out a smaller map that was focused on Alablue only. You found where you were and drew a picture to represent the police station. You were going to mark spots with landmarks so it would be easier to learn about the town you were living in. 

You followed paths on the map until you made it to a place you thought would be good to set up the house tesseract. You looked around you and nodded. The forest was right beside you, and you were on a plot of land on the other side from a couple of houses. A river separated you/the forest and the houses. 

You checked the map again to make sure land wasn’t in an area that would be considered trespassing. As you’d guessed, the land was considered part of the forest. 

You pulled the house tesseract from your bag and set it on the forest floor. You said the magic words, and a glow emitted from the cube. The light outlined a tiny cottage until it solidified into the tiny cottage you’d bought. You look around you, hoping to not have disturbed anybody. 

You remember how you were given a charm--a gift Odette bought you--that would make the house invisible for a week. You went inside and activated it. Better to slowly make your presence known instead of suddenly having your house appear from nowhere. If you were at least established as a witch through word-of-mouth, then a house appearing wouldn’t be bad. You’d worry about that later.

The cottage had a low set of stairs that led inside. The first thing you saw to your right was the tiny kitchen. Ahead of you was a door. The door leads to a small toilet room which then connects a bathing room to the left. To your left was a tall bookshelf and a closet that separated the kitchen from the bed. It gave the illusion that you had a “bedroom” since your bed was against the wall but with some room between it and the bookshelf. There was a window by the bed, a window by the entrance door, and a drawer near the foot of your bed. 

The house truly was meant for one person, but you wanted to start small when you moved. It was the best priced house tesseract, and you could add to it later on. For the time being, you would worry about how to get the house functioning. Thankfully you could use the river as a power source. You set your bag down on the drawer and closed the curtains. You needed to sleep, it was eight in the morning. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luffy sighed as he leaned his head against his hand. He was sitting at The Pinwheel during lunchtime, your note in his other hand. Usopp happily ate his food, and he was a little surprised that Luffy still had some food on his plate. Usually he would’ve finished and been on his second helpings already. Onami walked by picking up the dirty trays from a table nearby, and nodded towards the sighing Okappiki.

“What’s gotten into him?”

“I’m not too sure,” Usopp whispered to Onami, and then addressed Luffy. “Oi, oyabun, you’ve been looking at the note for a while now, whatcha thinking?”

“(Y/n)-san stopped by the station but we missed them,” Luffy read the letter again. “I couldn’t take their request form to the castle, but they still wrote us a letter saying thank you.”

“We knew this was probably going to happen though,” Usopp said as he took another bite of this meal. “(L/n)-san probably wanted to get their papers to the castle as soon as possible. We didn’t have to be the ones to deliver it.”

“Who is (l/n) (y/n)?” Onami asked, and even Sanji turned from his spot in the kitchen so he could listen. At the question, Luffy’s mood suddenly perked up.

“(Y/n)-san is going to be this town’s witch!” Luffy smiled at Onami and Sanji’s confused expressions. “They came to the station at night during the storm.”

“Somebody walked through that?” Sanji commented. His eyes then lit up at the realization of the word witch. “A witch? Like a beautiful enchantress with spellbinding grace??” Sanji imagined an ethereal woman with ink, black hair down to her waist as she wore a gorgeous, green dress. “Ah~ Mademoiselle can cast a spell on me~”

“(Y/n) called themselves a witch, not an enchantress. Wizards and enchantresses are the same thing as witches, just that some prefer one title over the other.” Luffy explained, remembering your talk. Onami and Sanji would be lying if they didn’t admit they were a little impressed at how Luffy paid attention to talk that wasn’t about food. “They said witch is the general word.”

“You know quite a lot about this now,” Onami remarked.

“They told me about lots of cool stuff like different magic and they made light with their hands,” Luffy mimicked the way you made a Will-o'-wisp. “And they’re going to live here. They’re super polite and very smart, and…” Luffy looked at the note again and sighed. “And I wanted to talk more, but I don’t know where they’re going to stay. Do they have a place to stay? Can I help them be recognized as a witch? Hmmm...”

“Luffy, I’m sure you’ll come across them again if they’re staying in this town.” Onami said while heading to the back to put away the dishes. 

“That’s right, that’s right,” Usopp assured. “Besides, they might stop by the station some time soon.”

“But the police officer told them to come back in a month,” Luffy responded. “(Y/n)-san probably thinks they’ll have to wait that long.” Luffy looked down at his remaining food and quickly finished it. “Yosh, Onami-san is right though, maybe I’ll come across them in town. Thank you for the meal! Put it on my tab!” 

“Pay for your food!” An annoyed tone answered from the back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was five in the evening when you woke up. You closed your eyes to take a short thirty minute nap immediately after. 

At five thirty, you sat up on your bed. You stretched and stood up, ready to begin your “day”. The house was bound to still be invisible, so you thought about how to approach the whole “it suddenly appeared one day.” You would have to talk to your neighbors eventually, and the idea of doing so made you shiver. You could maybe talk to at least one neighbor and then they could tell the other neighbors.

“Yeah, I’ll do that...eventually.”

You went to the drawer to get your communication crystals. You spoke to it, leaving a message to your friends that you had made it safely to Alablue and that you were in your house. You talked about finding the police station, the kind officers, and how you were going to try and get yourself used to the town.

You got some fruits from the kitchen, and sat on your bed to eat your breakfast. You were looking over your map of Alablue, and wondered where you would go next. You didn’t want to overwhelm yourself like you had when you first moved out of your hometown. 

You had been so focused on searching for a job that you didn’t get to enjoy what the city had to offer. Money had been such a focus for you that you were constantly anxious about it. Thankfully after you were able to work a stable job, you weren’t as money driven.

You sighed as you remembered the anxiety and stress. You wanted to go about the new town with a different mindset. You weren’t rich, but you had a good amount of money set aside. Your habit of saving as much money as you could was useful for moving. You saved as if you still made little money when you were actually making a decent amount. You could afford to spend it on yourself. 

You were going to give yourself at least two weeks before you looked for work. For the time being, you had enough Berries to get you by. You could eat at food stands, you could buy some new clothes, and you could just relax. You looked at your bookshelf and wondered if you should buy new books. Your collection was still growing since now you had the money to buy more, but you would wait. First you were going to think about how to make Alablue feel like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clothing info from wiki: Kimonos are matched with seasons. Awase (lined) kimonos, made of silk, wool, or synthetic fabrics, are worn during the cooler months. During these months, kimonos with more rustic colors and patterns (like russet leaves), and kimonos with darker colors and multiple layers, are favored.
> 
> Light, cotton yukata are worn by men and women during the spring and summer months.
> 
> Hakama, which resembles a long, wide pleated skirt, is generally worn over the kimono. It was traditionally created to be worn by men of all occupations (craftsmen, farmers, samurai, etc.)


	9. Neighbors are hard to talk to...

On your second day of being in Alablue, you went to explore a bit of the town. You took your map to draw buildings and landmarks; it made it easier for you to remember where you were instead of trying to remember the names of streets. You saw a number of stores and restaurants--all of which were then drawn on the map--and made a mental note to stop by them at one point. You weren’t going to stop at a restaurant yet, your first mission was food for the house and clothes.

First thing you wanted to focus on was food that was easy to cook and wouldn’t perish quickly. You had a place to store food in the house, but it was small. 

_I have to keep in mind my space is limited,_ you thought as you weighed fruits in your hands. 

It would be alright at the beginning because you could eat at food stands, but you wanted to make sure you were independent in your tiny cottage. You bought your food and went back to your house before it was late at night.

That night, you set away your food and stayed up reading. You wonder if you should adjust your sleep schedule so you could shop at the same time as many people did, but then you thought about the crowds. You snuggled into bed and decided that was a topic for another time.

On the third day you were able to buy the hakamas as you’d intended, and you were happy with how you look in them. The store clerks were thankfully kind, but you tried to talk minimally. Once you’d gotten your new clothes, you looked more like a citizen than a tourist. You admired your new gear in a full length mirror you’d recently bought. You were content with your purchases. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day four was when you were feeling adventurous, so you explored a little bit of the forest at three in the afternoon, right after you’d woken up. You took a bag with some food and an axe with you. You were going to gather firewood for the stove. Winter was on its way out, but the frost was still there. You house was thankfully warm and protected you from the elements, but the stove acted as a chimney that kept the house toasty. 

You had your logs with you as well as sore arms when you made your way back to the house. Before you got close to the edge of the forest, you saw a green haired monk on his back on the forest floor. Worried something had happened, you rushed closer to investigate disregarding any fears of the stranger.

You almost missed the way his body tensed and his thumb pressed against one of his three swords, ready to jump up and strike. As if sensing that your intentions weren’t malicious, the monk relaxed. 

“A-Are you okay?”

“Hmph, I’m fine, just resting until I get to the town over there,” He pointed towards the forest, and you were confused. Was he going to one of the cities away from Alablue? He was taking the long scenic route if he was going through the forest. 

“Alablue should be close, the docks are close by.”

“...You’re...you’re heading in the opposite direction.” 

“What!?” The monk/swordsman sat up quickly.

“The docks are that way,” You pointed in the general direction where you were headed. “Alablue is over there, and this way.” You gestured to the forest. “You’ll be deep in the forest before you make it to another town. You might head to West Blue if you don’t get to a town in East Blue.” 

The shade of red the man turned complimented his hair nicely. 

“Huh, yeah I knew that,” He clearly didn’t, but you kept quiet. “Are you heading the same way I am?”

“Yes, I live on the edge of Alablue.”

“You can follow me out of the forest then,” The monk stood up, dusted himself off, and then began walking parallel to where you had pointed. You wondered if he’d be insulted if you offered to hold his hand to walk out of the forest. The man suddenly stopped walking when his stomach growled loudly. By his stiff posture, you guessed his face was probably red again. 

“Would you like some food?” The green haired man turned around to see you set down your logs and bag. You pulled out two rice balls and held them up. “You can have these. I packed too much food by accident, so I’m full.” 

A little white lie wouldn’t hurt if it meant the hungry man would eat. He had a pondering look, so you wondered if he didn’t want to accept the food unless he somehow earned it. “Also, will you help me carry the logs out of the forest?” 

“Haah, you’ve got yourself a deal,” the monk smirked as he accepted the rice balls, and then practically scarfed them down. 

You picked up one strap of the bag holding the logs, and the monk picked up the other one. He gestured for you to release the strap, but you tighten your grip and smiled at him. He could have easily carried the bag on his own with no effort, but you refused to let him hold your logs on his own. He might accidentally wander off, so this was your leash to lead him out of the forest. 

While you two walked, you talked. He told you his name was Roronoa Zoro, and he was a Hakaisou, a Buddhist monk who broke the rule of being one. You glanced at his swords and took a guess as to why that was. He would be safe on his own if he still traveled like a monk. Bandits would be foolish to try something against him. 

You told him your name and pronouns, and you mentioned that you had recently moved to Alablue. Zoro said he knew some people in town, and that he was looking forward to the warmer weather. The sudden cold pissed him off because he was already planning for the spring festivals that were going to take place in the capital. 

“The Great Mochimaki Race is going to happen again, and I intend to get a mochimaki that doesn’t have a giant seed in it,” Zoro frowned at the unpleasant memory. You crooked your head in confusion. 

“Mochimaki race?”

“Yeah, it’s a festival about who can catch a mochimaki with treasure inside or something, I don’t care. I just want some free mochimaki.”

_But...treasure can buy many mochimakis. Treasure can be exchanged for goods and services._

“Later when the sakura trees blossom, there’s a festival too,” Zoro continued as you neared the clearing into the town. “The great sakura, the biggest tree, is the center of the party. It’s a great time to get offerings.” So Zoro may be a Hakaisou, but he still did monk-like things. An interesting man indeed. Once you were out of the forest, you thanked Zoro for helping you carry the wood. 

“I hope you find your friends while here,” you adjusted your bag and made sure the logs were secure so you could bring them into your house.

“You’re a kind person, I’ll throw in a prayer for you (y/n).”

“Ah, thank you,” You bowed. “Have a safe trip Roronoa-san.”

“Hm, you too.” 

As the two of you walked in different directions, you had the same thought: _Kind of a weird guy, but they’re nice._

Zoro started to head towards the town, but stopped when he realized he could have at least offered to carry the firewood to your house. He turned around to call out to you, but you were nowhere in sight. Zoro paled and looked around frantically. You had just suddenly disappeared.

“Was...was I helped by a forest spirit??”

Inside your house, you set down the firewood by the stove. You didn’t need to light a fire for the time being, the house was enchanted to keep a consistent, ambient temperature. When winter comes around again, however, a little extra heat for the house would be good. As you gave your sore shoulders a massage, you had completely forgotten that your house was invisible to everybody except you. If you started a fire right then and there, you would have accidently made Zoro think the smoke appearing in the air was a malicious spirit. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the fifth day came by, you didn’t leave the house. You were in bed most of the day, unsure why you had such a lack of energy. You sighed and decided to read, rationalizing that you had used up your social meter the last few days. You took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. 

You didn’t like to admit that you had days where you felt...bad. Just bad, sad, and overall numb days. _Low days_ you called them. You looked at the crystal on your drawer glowing blue, a small smile appearing because you knew Daniela and/or Arboria had left you a message. Something nice to combat the low day.

Outside your invisible house on the other side of the river, a middle aged woman named Kazue swept her home’s back porch. The porch wasn’t dirty; Kazue had already cleaned it the day before. It had been cleaned the day before that as well. The reason she swept was because she needed an excuse to be in the backyard for a while. She was trying her hardest to see what was on the edge of the forest.

Kazue recalled the first day you had moved to the spot. 

_You were unaware that one person was awake very early in the morning. Kazue was getting ready to prepare breakfast for her husband, and she walked by the window to see a mysterious figure walk by the forest. She didn’t think much of it, however, because her dog whined by the backdoor. She bent down to pet her anxious dog’s head; he probably wanted to be let out to do his business._

_“What should I make today, Mamesuke?” she asked. When she opened the back door, a tiny cottage was in view with the mystery person walking into it after opening the door. “Oh my!” Kazue whispered in surprise. She took a step back and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was still half-asleep. When she opened her eyes again, both the mystery person and the house were gone. “Did I imagine that?” She looked down at her dog’s shocked expression. Mamesuke did his odd little dance where he bounced from leg to leg, as if trying to say “I saw that too! A house suddenly appeared!”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mamesuke was a dog with a certain amount of anxiety. 

He cared dearly for his owner Kazue, so he worried about who or what was on the edge of the forest. It had been five days since he or Kazue had seen the cottage, but he knew he hadn’t imagined seeing a stranger set down a cube that then became a house. Mamesuke crossed the short bridge over the river; he was going to use his nose to find the mysterious house.

The dog sniffed and sniffed until he came to the clearing where he knew he saw a house appear. The scent was stronger, and he was getting closer to--

***Bonk***

The problem with making a house invisible was that birds would fly into it. The witch that enchanted your invisibility charm made sure birds could still see the house. They had forgotten to make it visible for four legged animals.

Mamesuke nursed his snout, a soft whine escaping his mouth. He looked up to nothing except the sky. Something was there, but his doggy eyes didn’t see it. The dog’s eyes widened when a door suddenly materialized. It opened and the stranger from days ago stood behind the now open door. You blinked and then gasped when you saw the shocked dog’s face. 

“Oh! Hi~ Hello cutie, what are you doing here?” 

You smiled and crouched down, extending your hand with your palm facing upwards. The dog sniffed at you but didn’t get closer. You made sure not to make any sudden movements so you wouldn’t scare the poor thing.

“Mamesukeeee~!” A woman’s voice called out. “Mamesuke, your snack is ready dear.”

The dog looked back to the source of the voice, and then back to you before he ran to the bridge. You stood up and closed the door behind you. As you walked, you saw a middle aged woman wearing dark blue kimono with white accents walk out of her house. She had short, dark brown hair pulled back in a bun.

“Mamesukeee~” She called before noticing you. “Oh my, good evening, have you seen--oh there you are Mamesuke.” 

You waved at her while her dog did a little dance by her feet. You bit back a laugh as you watched the adorable display. You crossed the bridge while Mamesuke was still trying to communicate with his owner. The woman watched him and hummed in thought. Whatever message the dog was trying to convey, it looked like she understood. 

“That’s a good idea Mamesuke, we should invite them for tea.”

“Awooooo!!” You could have sworn it almost sounded like the dog was actually saying “Noooo!!” 

“Excuse me dear, would you like to have a cup of tea? It’s still a little chilly after the snowstorm from a few days ago.” 

You smiled and nodded. You had been agonizing over the idea of talking to your neighbors, but maybe now you could start here. You followed her as she led you towards her house. Mamesuke kept close to her, unsure of how to be around you. 

“My name is Ume Kazue, but please just call me Kazue.”

“My name is (l/n) (y/n), and my pronouns are they, them, and theirs.” You let out a sigh of relief when Kazue looked momentarily confused before she repeated your pronouns to herself, practicing using them. You thanked your lucky stars that Kazue was so understanding. 

Once inside the warm house, Kazue showed you where you could place your shoes. You waited at the chabudai while she was in the kitchen. Mamesuke stayed with you at the short table; he still looked over at you cautiously, but he looked less frightened at least. 

You looked around the house, admiring how comfortable and welcoming the entire place felt. The walls were a cloudy grey while the dark-brown wood railings and furniture accented the interior. There was pottery and artwork decorating the place as well. You spotted a potted plant on a table stand. 

“Hm? Wonder what it is.” 

“The tea will be done soon,” Kazue said as she walked out of the kitchen. 

“Thank you so much Kazue-san. May I ask what that plant is?”

“Oh no need to be formal with me, you can call me Aunty.” Kazue practically glowed when you asked your question again with the new title. “It’s a Sakurasou. I picked it out while I was shopping with Mamesuke. Once the weather is warmer, I’m hoping to plant them outside. They’ll stay inside until it’s strong enough to be in a garden.” 

Kazue sighed and placed her hand to her cheek. “Ah, it’s my first time trying to grow a garden, so I hope these dearies can make it to the mid-spring. They’re a little late in blooming.” 

“I see...I hope your garden grows strong and healthy.”

“I hope so too...So!” Kazue puffed out her chest confidently. “I’m going to do my part in helping them grow.” You grinned at her energy, you felt fortunate to have gotten the chance to talk to her first before any of your neighbors. “Do you live nearby by (y/n)-chan?”

“I live on the edge of the forest actually.” You began. Taking a moment to collect yourself, you began telling her about how you had been looking for a place to stay in Alablue.

You told her you were a witch. 

You said your house was a house tesseract, and you explained what that was. It was currently invisible, but you were hoping to somehow let your neighbors know you were there so they didn’t panic when the house suddenly appeared. 

“I’m sorry to ask for a favor, but I was hoping maybe...if you could, erm, let the neighbors know that I’m a witch??” You fidgeted with your fingers as you waited for Kazue’s response.

“Of course, I’ll let them know,” Kazue giggled. “A witch, how exciting.” You were a little surprised by her quick acceptance, but you were grateful for it. 

The kettle whistled from the kitchen, and Kazue excused herself. While she was away, you placed your hand over your rapidly beating heart. Talking to one neighbor already had you anxious, you were happy you probably didn’t need to talk to the others. Mamesuke had looked surprised as you spoke, but now he looked less spooked of you. Now he just crooked his head at you in confusion.

“I’m not so spooky now am I pup?” 

You smiled at the dog, and he wagged his tail. Kazue came back with two teacups on a tray with snacks. She warned that the tea was too hot to drink, but she had snacks ready to eat. “I want to repay your kindness somehow, may I try something?” 

“You don’t need to do anything dear, but if it’ll make you feel better I don’t mind.”

You nodded and stood up. You went over to the potted plant, and brought it back to the chabudai. As Kazue and Mamesuke watched, you sat crossed legged with the plant in between your legs. You concentrated so you could focus your magic to use elemental magic. 

You run your fingers over the leaves so to _wake_ the flower buds. You accelerated the plant’s growth by transferring your magic to it. The plant began to move as it quickly grew and bloomed. Your body began to feel cold, but you expected that to happen. You magic was low, so using this amount of magic suddenly was bound to make you feel weakened. 

You looked down at the plant, and thought about how this magic spell was nothing impressive. You remembered once relaxing on a bench at a park, and a mother was walking with her two children. 

Spring had just arrived, so flowers were starting to bud. One of the kids asked when the flowers would bloom, and the mother said she could make them bloom right then and there. She cast her magic out, and the whole park bloomed. It was a gorgeous sight, and everybody at the park praised her and clapped. The mother blushed. She had only intended to make the bushes near her bloom. Remembering how easy casting that spell had been for her made you feel disappointed in yourself. You could barely make one potted plant bloom.

“The Sakurasou bloomed!” Kazue gasped and Mamesuke’s mouth was agape.

“I hope this is okay, I know it’s not much, but I hope you like it. Um, the sakurasou should grow normally now.” You rambled as you held up the potted plant.

“Not much? (Y/n)-chan, you made my sakurasou bloom! Thank you.” You blushed at the older woman’s praise. You handed her the plant, and she gently brushed her fingers over the flower petals. She let Mamesuke sniff the plant, and he wagged his tail while doing a little dance. “This is wonderful, so that’s magic.”

“It’s, um, it’s not much magic.” You shrugged. “I could only do this much.”

“But it’s still magic isn’t it?” Kazue smiled. “I’m happy you showed me something so wonderful. Ara~ I can’t wait to tell the neighbors that we have such a kind witch living close by.” You wouldn’t lie, Kazue’s words almost moved you to tears. 

You stayed in the house and spent the next two hours with her talking. She told you about the town and how long she’d lived there, and you told her about your recent move and where you were from. You helped her in the kitchen when she offered to make dinner before you left. Her husband would be home later, so she wanted to have food ready by the time he arrived. 

You thanked her for the meal, and you even got to pat Mamesuke on the head before you left. You were feeling in good spirits after meeting your neighbor. You waved goodbye and made your way to the town. Stores would begin to close soon, but you were wide awake. You weren’t going to shop, but instead explore some more and add to your map.


	10. Chance Encounter

“Hmmmm, how have I not seen them?” Luffy wondered out loud. 

He had his arms crossed and a frown on his face as he walked through the streets of his town. Usopp glanced at his work partner, feeling a little sorry for him. Luffy had gone to the shogun’s castle to speak to Vivi. Since Vivi’s was friends with him, he was able to talk to her directly. 

He asked if she had seen the request form you had filled out, and she said no. Once she was aware of it, she told Luffy she would immediately look it over. Since her father was out of the country, she could be the one to review it. She had told him she would come to him when she’d written you a letter. Luffy could then deliver it to you, but he couldn’t find you in the first place.

“Hey, at least now (y/n)-san doesn’t have to wait until the shogun arrives to have their papers reviewed.” Usopp added to try to cheer his friend up. Even though he had tried to search for you, Usopp was having no luck like Luffy. Some people had seen you in passing, but nobody could tell them where you had gone.

“That’s true, but there’s still some kinda test they gotta do.”

“What do you mean?”

“(Y/n) did the paperwork saying they’re a witch, so then they have to prove it, do magic.” Luffy smiled at the memory of the will-o'-wisp. “Which they can do, they just gotta show the royal family, that’s what they said.”

“Busy...busy…” Luffy and Usopp blinked confused at the words before they looked to the side to see with a large wood box pass them by. Taking a few steps back, they saw that the box had straps, and those straps were attached to Dr. Bluenose--the reindeer who ate the Hito hito no mi. 

“Bluenose-sensei, are you okay? What’s with the huge box?” Usopp asked. The doctor suddenly jolted as if he had been woken from his sleep. 

“Huh? Oh, hi, sorry, I’m just a little tired,” the reindeer rubbed his eyes. “Because of the sudden temperature drop, some people had gotten a cold.” He sighed. “But because spring is getting closer, people’s allergies are coming up. I have to find out if somebody caught a cold or if it’s allergies. Also just general health issues that people have.”

“You have a lot of work huh?” Luffy poked the wooden box. “Let me carry that for you sensei. Are you sending this to the hospital in Central East Blue?” 

“No, I’m going to run these samples in my own home. It’ll take too long waiting for the results to come back since they have their own citizens to care for. I’ve pulled all-nighters before but just not for this long before.” The doctor felt a weight suddenly lifted off of his back. “Ah! Please be careful with those!”

“For a doctor that’s careful about other’s health, you gotta take care of yours too, shishishi~” Luffy adjusted the wooden backpack to himself. “Lead the way doc!” Dr. Bluenose sighed but smiled. He thanked the officers and told them that his house was close by. As Luffy and Usopp turned around to follow the doctor, they completely missed how you walked by with your nose in your map. 

_New part of town, check!_

You walked around the new area in high spirits. You were mostly away from Alablue, so you wondered what you would see. You had been in Grand Jipangu for a week, and you were trying to make sure you enjoyed your time. Your house would no longer be invisible, but thankfully you had met Kazue who was going to talk to your neighbors.

The realization that a week was coming to a close also made you aware that you had a week left before you look for work. You shake your head in a vain attempt to free yourself of the oncoming thoughts and fears. You still had time.

“I wonder what restaurants are here…”

Alablue was near the ocean, so the food was seafood based. You hadn’t tried all the restaurants in Alablue, but you had eaten at a couple of food stands. One restaurant you had in mind to eat at was The Pinwheel, but you had set it aside until you felt that you had a good grasp of your new town. You folded your map and put it away in your pocket. You went around the new area with no particular place in mind.

When night drew near, you headed home like everybody else. You wouldn’t go to sleep however, so you were going to stay awake all night reading and practicing your magic. You thought about how you were going to try different types of magic so you could show the royal family. If, for whatever reason, the shogun approved your request, you were going to have to prove yourself. Making a will o’ wisp was not going to be enough to be given the title of “witch”.

You sat on your bed and daydreamed while looking over spells, past notes, and new materials. You imagined having powerful Fire magic. You thought about how you could make a ring of fire around yourself as a form of defense but also an attack. You thought about how to command the air to send powerful gusts of wind, or better yet combining air and fire to make a _fire tornado_ \---You frowned and snapped your fingers.

Not even a spark.

“Who do I think I am?” You muttered as you put your hand down and picked up a notebook to write down what you could do. You were officially in Grand Jipangu for a week and you were already frustrated with yourself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Igaram was thankful that he was able to convince the princess to not leave the castle. Usually she took any opportunity she could to visit her friends at The Pinwheel. 

The only reason she stayed was because a noble family was visiting, and Princess Komane was far too afraid in the new environment to be left alone. Vivi, in an act of friendship, had stayed by her side to show her the castle/landscape/etc. Princess Vivi shrugged when she handed Igaram the letter to deliver to Luffy. 

“I can go out and explore another day,” she stated. The blond councilor could tell she wanted to be the one to deliver the letter.

Igaram gently pushed aside the short curtain to enter the restaurant, and he found the person he was looking for. Luffy was eating a hearty meal, and he didn’t seem to acknowledge that a council member had just walked in. It was Onami who first noted his presence.

“Igaram-san, welcome,” The orange haired woman looked around him. “Is Vivi here with you?”

“Bibis hew?” Luffy asked with a mouthful of food, and Sanji chastised him from the kitchen. He swallowed his food quickly to ask again, “Vivi’s here?”

“No, the princess had matters to attend to, but she sends her regards,” Igaram explained as he took a sealed letter out of his pocket and faced Luffy. “The princess wanted me to give this to you. It has the royal family seal, so it’s official.” The letter was encased in a red envelope with a golden sakura flower sealing the letter. “This is the response to (L/n)-san’s request.”

“Yahooo~!” Luffy leapt from his chair to stand in front of Igaram. “Thank you! I knew Vivi would approve this quickly.” He grinned, happy to have your letter to deliver. Luffy was feeling confident that he would find you soon, he had a suspicion he was getting closer to finding the town’s witch. 

“You don’t know what the contents say,” Igaram muttered. Luffy’s joyful mood was interrupted however when Usopp’s voice rang in the distance.

“Oyabuuuun!! There’s trouble!!” It was the Buggy Gang causing trouble again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_“...up...Hey...Wake up._

_“Nnnnghh...mor…” You mumbled, turning away from the sunlight. “Few more mins…”_

_“You’ll sleep the day away,” the kind voice pointed out, but they sounded amused instead of annoyed. “Okay, five more minutes sounds good, right?” You smiled because you knew the five minutes would become fifteen minutes. You felt the bed dip as he climbed into the bed beside you. You felt his warm arms wrap around you. “Here, this way when you wake up, you’ll have a great day.”_

_You started snuggling closer to the body, enjoying the warmth. “Thank you.” You loved it when you were hugged so tightly, it was as if he was trying to convey his affection by squeezing you._

_“You’ve been working really hard, so I’ll be here to give you hugs when you’re feeling sad or it’s a bad day, okay?” The kind person snuggled his face to the top of your head. “I’ll make you feel better so you can be ready for the new day.” Those words and the feeling of tenderness that radiated off the person made you want to cry. Your heart felt like it could burst._

_You were in lo--_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your eyes snapped open, and it took you about a minute to center yourself. 

You ran a hand down your face as you groaned in frustration. You didn’t want to admit it, but you realized that you might have been feeling lonelier than you expected. The two weeks that you had given yourself before looking for work were over, and you were faced with the reality that you were a little scared.

You stretched before getting out of bed, and went to the kitchen. As you made yourself food, you sent a message to your friends with basic updates of what you had done. Your house was no longer invisible, but Aunty Kazue had spoken to her neighbors about you. Your house was still a bit of a surprise, but nobody had approached you with questions about it. You ate and tried to recall what you had dreamt about. You narrowed your eyes, you could only remember that you were sleeping and somebody tried to wake you…

You decided that it meant you were tired and needed to talk to somebody.

You left the house after activating its defense. As you were walking away from it, Kazue was already in her back yard, tending to the area where her garden was going to be. 

“Oh, good evening (y/n)!” Kazue waved at you while Mamesuke yipped and wagged his tail. You waved to the two as you crossed the bridge to meet with them.

“Good morning, Kazue-san.”

“Aunty, call me Aunty dear.”

“Good morning Aunty Kazue,” you smiled amused.

“That’s right, you just woke up, good morning to you too~” 

When she learned that you were running more on a nocturnal schedule, she joked that you were an owl. Still, she made sure to be in the backyard around the time you were awake so she could greet you. “You know, I worry about you living alone. Don’t be afraid to come to me if you ever need anything.”

“I will, I promise,” You pat Mamesuke on the head and then bent down so you were face-to-face with the dog. “Wish me luck pupper, I’m going into town on a mission.” Mamesuke licked your cheek as you scratched both sides of his head. “Thank you~” 

You were in the middle of Alablue, and you had your map with you to check out the specific spots you’d marked. You were going to cover East Blue and Alablue, so that meant you needed to break your search through the days. You thought of going around the northern region of the town, and then working your way down before going east and west. You knew restaurants were where you were going to start looking. A job as a server was something that you had done before, so it was a job you knew you could do. 

_The problem is I don’t like it._ You frowned to yourself as you made note of places that had **Help Wanted** signs on them. You shook your head. _When looking for work, I can’t complain. I need a job._

The gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach didn’t go away however. You covered a good portion of the town, but around nine you had to head home. Restaurants were being closed, so you knew it would be pointless to be out and about. You might accidentally frighten people if you walked around in the middle of the night, but you still had your nocturnal schedule so you weren’t tired. 

You passed the police station you had first stopped at when you first moved to Alablue. You wondered if you could try stopping by to see if Luffy and/or Usopp were there, but decided against it. You always had the same internal struggle about trying to see the officers again every time you passed the station. 

_They have work, don’t suddenly intrude,_ you thought to yourself as you walked past. _One month, that’s when I’m supposed to be back here._ Still, you hoped the month would hurry so you had the excuse to stop in. 

As you headed home, you wondered about what to eat. You glanced to the side when you walked by The Pinwheel, and the lights were surprisingly still on.

“I’m closing up, so get ready to leave,” A blonde man walked out, his cigarette adding a slight glow to his face. “Seriously you--hm?” You stopped in your tracks for a second before you bowed slightly to greet the man. “Are you looking to eat here? Better hurry up, I’m closing shop.” 

You shake your head, and continue walking. You picked up your pace, and the man merely shrugged as he blew a puff of smoke. He put out the lights in front of the restaurant as the final customers of the night walked out the door.

“Ahh~ Thanks for the meal!” Luffy patted his full stomach while Usopp opened his wallet in despair. 

“Oi Luffy, why did you insist that tonight was a lucky night? You dragged me here to eat at such a late time while we were heading home for the night.”

“Shishishi~ Because! I think I know where I can find (y/n)!”

“Ehhh?!”

“Earlier before I went home, I heard someone say a house suddenly appeared by the forest near the docks. That has to be (y/n)! I’m going to go see them first thing in the morning!” Luffy pulled out the red envelope from his pocket. “I have their letter to deliver!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, you were restless. While the town slept, you paced in your house. Your notes were on your bed as well as open books. You had a spur of energy, and you had the bitter thought that it was your body’s last “hoorah!” before it shut down. Not only were you feeling active, you also didn’t know what to do with the anxious thoughts running through your head. 

You ran your hands down your face as your thoughts spiraled out of control. 

_I made a mistake by leaving the good paying job I had. I should’ve changed my sleep schedule by now. Should I talk to Daniela or Arboria? No, I’d be burdening them if I just talked about how lonely I feel. Kazue-san? She’s so kind, why haven’t I done more to express my gratitude to her_ \---ah…

You were having a panic attack.

“Relax, it’s okay, I’m okay.” You slowly breathed in, and then breathed out. 

You hurried to take everything off your bed and get them on top of your drawer. You sat on your bed and began regulating your breathing. You were having a panic attack, but you could come down from it. 

You focused on the feeling of the soft blanket under you, and you remembered Daniela’s words when it came to dealing with a panic attack. “Practice mindfulness,” you repeat her words. “Relax the muscles.” You breathed in and then breathed out. You thought of your happy place, and eventually you were able to bring yourself down.

When it was around six in the morning, you rubbed your eyes feeling tired. You spent the rest of the night napping or reading. You peeked out the window to see the first hints of the sunrise and wondered if you should go to the docks. 

_Why miss the opportunity to watch a beautiful sunrise?_ You made sure you had on a comfortable outfit since you would sleep immediately afterwards. Once you lock your door, you are headed towards the docks.

The salty sea breeze nipped at your skin and made your eyes slightly blurry with tears, but you didn’t mind. It was a beautiful sight, and you wished you could enjoy it with somebody. You wiped your eyes, fighting away the sleepiness but also the oncoming sadness you were starting to feel. 

_Seeing something so beautiful it moves you to tears,_ you joked to yourself, but you were feeling a flurry of emotions again. Sadness, loneliness, longing, uncertainty. 

“I’m...I’m not okay,” You admitted to yourself. “I wish I had somebody to talk to...I want to hug somebody and be hugged.”

“Hah? You do?”

You froze and quickly turned around. _AAAHHH, Why did I say that out loud?!_ You wiped your eyes to make sure no hints of tears were left. Out of everybody that could have heard you, it had to be the friendly Monkey D. Luffy.

“You must’ve been working really hard while you’ve been here, huh?” Luffy smiled. “The reason you wanna lean on somebody is because you’ve been working hard by yourself.” 

You felt your face start to heat up immediately. How did he know those were the words you needed to hear at that moment?

“I can give you hugs when you’re sad or it’s a bad day. You’ll be ready for the new day then!” Luffy stretched his arms out, giving you the choice to go to him. You were tempted to lean forward to hug him. His smile was so warm it warms your heart. 

“I...I, uh...” 

You snapped to reality when the bald man with a brown, fluffy beard accidentally bumped his ferryboat against the pier. His stuttering apology distracted Luffy, who tilted his head in the man’s direction and put his arms down. 

“Are you okay?” Luffy called out, and you took the opportunity to start moving away from the docks. The man on the boat assured Luffy that his boat was okay; it was thankfully just a bump instead of something serious. “Okay! Be careful--Ara? (Y/n)?” 

Luffy looked around and saw that you were leaving the seaside. By your quick pace, it was obvious that you were walking away embarrassed. You were walking quickly, and then you were almost jogging. You were so embarrassed you wanted the ground to swallow you whole. 

_What was I thinking? I almost hugged him!_ You were in such deep thought that you didn’t notice that Luffy was running up to you. You also didn’t notice that you were about to take a misstep on your way up the stairs to leave the dock. You tripped, banged your knee, and scraped your hands when you caught yourself. “Owwww…”

“(Y/n)! Are you okay?” Luffy linked his hands under your armpits and lifted you to your feet. You didn’t make eye contact with him as you brushed your clothes of dust. 

“I’m alright. The only thing bruised is my ego.” You winced when your hands touched your clothes, so you brushed yourself with the back of your hand. “I’m sorry to trouble you, I’m going home now.” You continued to walk up to the short, stone stairs with Luffy close behind you. Once you reached the top, Luffy moved into your line of vision. “Is...Is something wrong?”

“You’re limping.” Luffy stated. You looked away from him, not wanting to admit that he was right. You would be fine if you gave your leg some rest, but you were too embarrassed about having tripped that you tried to ignore the pain and get home quickly. “I’ll carry you to your house.”

“Eh...Excuse me?” You asked, but Luffy had already crouched in front of you, his back to you. He gestured for you to hop on, but you moved around him. “Please, you really don’t--oww--nothing! I didn’t say anything.” You lied in a vain attempt to hide your pain, but Luffy gave you a look. _You’re hurt, and I’ll keep pestering you to help you if you don’t get on my back right now._ You sighed. Your face was going to be warm the entire way home.


	11. Talking and Being Unguarded

The sun’s rays had reached to cover the entire town, so the citizens of Alablue were beginning to get ready for their day. You and Luffy were in front of your house before most citizens were awake, and you wanted to get into your house before anybody saw you two.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be seen with Luffy, but you didn’t want to be seen being given a piggyback ride because you’d hurt your knee. Luffy could not have cared less. His wide smile and cheerful disposition was ever present. 

“This is a cool house,” Luffy said as he set you down per your request. “How’d you get this here suddenly?” You put your hand on the door to remove the protective spell, and explained house tesseracts--homes you could literally carry in your pocket. 

The things that witches sold in the big city where you used to live were amazing. “That’s so coooool! I’m happy you had this with you, I was worried you didn’t have a place to stay when you moved here, shishishi~”

“I knew I could rent a room at an inn, but I didn’t think that would be a good idea,” you explained after you opened the door. “That could only last a few days, so this way I can have my own place without worrying about rent. Please, come in.” 

You stepped inside and gestured for Luffy to go in. He put his wooden sandals beside your shoes by the door before he greeted the house. 

“I’ll, um, make some tea.” Luffy thanked you and went to sit at the chabudai you had set out with tatamis. You had bought a chabudai because you finally had at least one guest you could invite to your house, but you didn’t think you would have another guest so soon. 

While the water was being heated, you got a first aid kit to clean your hands. Luffy insisted on helping, and you let him. He did a good job, and he said that he learned thanks to somebody called Dr. Bluenose. 

Since Luffy would get injured because of his job, he needed to at least get himself patched up so not to worry the doctor. He said his first aid skills before were “I just kinda slapped some ointment on and tied up cuts with whatever I could. Usually some nice citizens would bandage me up though.” You were a little worried for this officer.

“Itadakimasu~” Luffy grinned while biting into the cookies you’d set down to be eaten with the tea. You smiled, finding yourself having fun being a host. You rubbed your eyes however because you were tired. As the sun rose, you were reminded that you were supposed to be in bed. “You’re really nice, and you’re really hard to find too!”

“Hm...huh??” You shake your head, trying to keep yourself focused. You were more tired than you expected. 

“Yup.” Luffy blew on his tea and took a tentative sip. “I needed to give you a letter.” The officer rummaged through his sleeve to pull out a red envelope that was sealed with a golden sakura emblem. You hesitated before you reached for the letter, unable to believe you were holding a royal envelope. “Why was it so hard to find you? Did you stay here all this time?”

“Oh, um, I’m pretty much nocturnal,” You joked. “Because of my previous job, I worked during the night and I just haven’t adjusted my sleep schedule. I’ve explored the whole town, but only for a few hours. Usually from six to ten.” You turned the envelope in your hand, nervous to read it. 

“Ehhhh?? So that’s why I didn’t see you this whole time! Shishishi~, I’m usually lucky, so I was surprised that I didn’t see you at all. I was upset because I wanted to give you the letter that says you’re the town witch, or maybe the city witch?” Luffy tilted his head in thought. “The witch that the royal family recognises?”

“Wha--Why--How??” You carefully opened the letter, and gasped as you read the letter.

_To (L/n) (Y/n)_

_It is with great pleasure that I am writing to you to accept your request to be a witch recognized by the Nefertari royal family. Your enthusiasm and quest for knowledge will be an asset to our community. Please request a meeting with my father, the shogun, within a month in order to showcase your magic. Once he is back and you show your skills, you will have his approval as well. I look forward to welcoming you as part of the community in East Blue._

_Signed, Princess Nefertari Vivi_

You lowered the letter in disbelief. You were being given a chance? Your request had been met and you would get a chance to meet the royal family. Not only that, but you were being accepted as a witch even though your form stated how your magic was not strong. You were very tired because tears started to form, and you couldn’t hide your emotions. Luffy stopped eating and looked at you with concern.

“O-Oi, (Y/n)? What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to be the town witch?”

“It’s not that,” you sniffled, and a tear ran down your cheek. You quickly wiped it away but more tears fell. “I--I’m okay, I just.” You took a deep breath, your hands covering your eyes while you kept your head bent down. 

Luffy had set the snacks aside and moved closer to you, scooting the tatami with him. 

“I’ve been practicing and exerting my magic, and just--I was so prepared to be told no. I thought that ‘Well that’s expected, being recognized as a witch is a pipe dream’ and now…” You hiccupped as you kept your tears at bay. You moved your hands away so you could wipe at your falling tears. Being tired was making you lose your grip on controlling your emotions. “Now to being readily told ‘Yes you’re a witch’ I don’t know, it’s suddenly so much--”

Your sentence was cut short because Luffy hugged you. 

“I was right, you have been working hard,” he placed his cheek against the top of your head. “Using magic, traveling over the city, and being stressed this whole time.” Luffy surprised you when he hugged you, but you weren’t going to move. His hug was gentle, comforting...and you suddenly realized that you needed to be hugged. 

“Can I keep hugging you? Hugs are great because they release chemicals in your brain to make you feel better, that’s what Bluenose-sensei said. Crying is good too ya know? You’ll feel lighter after you cry.” You turned your face towards Luffy’s chest and nodded. You sniffled some more as tears fell down, and you wiped at your face as best you could while Luffy hugged you.

“Thank you so much,” you said after you felt the tears stop. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.” You pulled away from Luffy, your eyes were slightly puffy and drowsy. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to cry on you. Pfft, haha, I’m so tired.” You sniffled and wiped at your face. A yawn escaped when you rubbed your eyes. “I’m so sleepy, I’m probably going to sleep until five.”

“That’s pretty late, but that makes sense,” Lufft crossed his arms and nodded. “I can come and get you so you can personally go to the shogun’s castle--or we can go another time!” Luffy retracted his statement when he saw your expression suddenly become worried. 

The idea of going to the castle was probably too stressful before you went to bed. “I’ll come check on you at five so you can eat breakfast and I can eat a pre-dinner snack.” His enthusiasm earned a chuckle from you, which made him smile. Good, you were feeling less stressed. 

“I’d like that very much.”

Luffy waved enthusiastically when he was outside your house, saying he would be back later. You’d made sure to explain that he needed to knock at the window if you didn’t answer the door before he was gone. If he tried to force the door open or anything, the house’s enchantment would put him to sleep for eight hours. Luffy’s eyes had sparkled when you were explaining, and a part of you worried that he would want to see how the spell worked. 

When you were in bed, you pulled the blankets close to you as you drifted between awake and asleep. _I can’t believe I’ve gotten this chance, you thought. And I got to see Luffy again._ You smiled as you drift off. _He’s very sweet...and he’s as cute as his personality._ You were too tired to be embarrassed by your foggy thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luffy was in a noticeably chipper mood. It was hard to believe that an already happy person could be feeling happier. The townspeople greeted the black haired okapikki as he made his way to The Pinwheel. He was looking forward to relaying the good news to Usopp about having found you. 

If Usopp wasn’t at the restaurant, at least he could eat the delicious food there. It was lunch time, so Luffy knew it would be a good break from his duties. Luffy pushed aside the short curtains to enter and saw a large, black afro.

“Brook! You’re back from West Blue!”

“Yohohoho~ That’s right Luffy-san!” The skeleton man twirled his flute while he sat at a table with Chopper and Usopp. “I finished my tour, I thought it would be a good time to come back~”

“Having a local celebrity here is bound to drum up business,” Onami said as she and the waitress named Mao set plates down for the table. “Since Brook regained his memories a second time--” Onami threw a half-assed glare at the perverted skeleton. “He’s decided to live here in Alablue permanently. And because he’s focusing on his musical talent, he’s becoming a noteworthy musician.” The orange haired restaurant owner turned to Brook. “Make sure you don’t risk your memories by asking something perverted and getting punched by Mao-chan again, got it??”

“H-Hai!” 

“Shishi~ It’s been a year now that you and Franky are here huh? A year since the Mikoshi race, so you’re not the new people anymore.” Luffy took a seat at the table so he was beside his work partner and across Brook and Chopper. “Well, there’s someone new that just moved here, and their name is (l/n) (y/n) and I found them!” 

Luffy was grinning ear to ear when he revealed the news. Brook and Chopper were a little confused at his enthusiasm, but Usopp and Onami completely understood. 

“You found them?!” Usopp and Onami asked in unison. Mao clasped her hands together in joy. She had heard from her employer how Luffy had been searching for a mysterious person who happened to be a witch. “Where were they? We looked all over East Blue.” Usopp asked.

“They were in an invisible house on the edge of Alablue, by the forest.”

“Invisible house!?” Chopper’s eyes shined. “How? That’s amazing!”

“They’re a witch that moved from another country,” Luffy explained. “They’re nocturnal, so that’s why I couldn’t find them before.”

“So cool, nocturnal…” Chopper, Brook, and Usopp muttered as they each thought of different night creatures. Luffy chuckled while Mao set the last plate down. “Sanji! I want food too!”

“I know, I know. Wait for your food you hungry bastard,” Sanji replied from the kitchen. He was already getting started on the food for the strawhat wearing officer. “Oh, Sanji! I need a packed lunch too. I want to take food to (y/n) for when they wake up.” Onami did a double take at Luffy’s request.

“Huh? You’re going to take the food? Are you sure you won’t eat it before it arrives?” Onami asked while she put her hands on her hips. Mao giggled as she went back to serving the other tables because more people arrived. “If this is going to be (y/n)-san’s first meal of the day, you can’t eat it.”

“I won’t, I won’t, I promise,” Luffy pouted, but he thought about it and became a little nervous. “Sanji! Wrap up the packed food a bunch of times please!” Onami sighed. Luffy was honestly going to try and deliver food. 

Onami couldn’t help but smile a little as Luffy talked to everybody. With his search being over, Luffy didn’t have the worried look he’d unconsciously show whenever he was at the restaurant after a failed search. The table was lively as Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper caught up with the undead musician while Onami went back to work. The restaurant became busier with lunchtime and people stopping by to get an autograph from Brook. Business was thankfully booming for The Pinwheel Eatery. 

“Here, oyabun,” said the blonde chef. Luffy didn’t have to go to the kitchen to get the bento because Sanji brought it to the table after the lunch rush. He held up two bentos, and one of them was slightly taller than the other. The taller one was wrapped in a furoshiki wrap numerous times. 

Sanji explained that the tall one was for the town’s witch, and the smaller one was for the strawhat officer. “I’m putting it in a pouch bag too so you’d have trouble opening it, but you still might try to eat it. This one is yours,” Sanji held up the small bento for emphasis. “You just ate so your appetite should be satiated for the time being.”

“Thank you Sanji!” Luffy grinned as he took both bentos. “Put it on my tab, I’ll visit here again soon.” Luffy waved goodbye before he sprinted out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were lying awake in bed, debating whether or not you wanted to go back to sleep. On one hand you were well rested and had energy for the day...on the other hand, you could sleep some more and enjoy how comfortable you were in bed. 

“Geeeet uuuup”, you grumbled. You tossed the blanket off yourself, and a shiver ran down your spine as the cool air nipped at your skin. You knew you wanted to go back to sleep because you were afraid to meet Luffy again, but sleeping wasn’t going to solve your problems. 

I dropped my guard, you thought. You sat crossed legged and stretched your arms above your head. _I let myself cry in front of somebody so now I don’t know how I’ll act around him._

You groaned and ran your hands down your face. You rarely cried, let alone cried in front of a stranger. Your best friends were the only people you felt you could cry around, but even then you tried not to cry so as not to worry them. Now Luffy had appeared like a whirlwind to throw you off balance. You hoped you could be lucky, and maybe Luffy had forgotten about stopping by your house. He’d done his duty, he didn’t need to be around you---

Three sharp knocks interrupted your thoughts. “(Y/n)! I brought food, are you awake~?” Three more knocks. “I have food for us to eat, it’s delicious.”

 _Nevermind, luck isn’t on my side today,_ you concluded. You answered the door to a grinning Luffy. He held up a cotton pouch bag that looked a little rustled, and he held a smaller one close to himself. You bowed slightly and thanked him as you accepted the bag with the sakura patterns. 

“Please come inside.” You moved out of the way as Luffy entered. 

After he removed his wooden sandals, he joined you at the chabudai. You opened the bag to find the bento was wrapped in a furoshiki with a chrysanthemum pattern. You were confused as you unwrapped the multiple knots on the cloth that held the bento. You glanced up at Luffy with a questioning look, but he was looking away with a clearly guilty expression.

“Um, Sanji wanted to make sure I didn’t eat your food so he made it harder to open. S..Sorry.” You curled your lips in to keep from laughing. “I had my own bento...but I already ate it...and then I thought ‘I’ll just have one small piece from this bento’ and that’s why it’s a bit messed up. I pulled at the cloth.” Luffy bowed to you. “I’m sorry, please forgive me for trying to eat your breakfast.”

“Pffft, haha, no, don’t--” you clasped your hand over your mouth. First thing in the evening when you woke up, and Luffy was already making you laugh. How did he get you to relax so quickly? “It’s okay, I’m just happy that you even offered to bring me breakfast.” You kept untying knot after knot until finally you were able to get to the bento. You took the bento apart so you could arrange the meal that had been prepared for you. You stared at the final product with wide eyes. Luffy’s friend had made you a detailed breakfast. There was miso soup, rice, a hard boiled egg, tamagoyaki, pickled vegetables, and a grilled mackerel as the centerpiece. “Oh wow.”

“Woo~ Sanji actually made breakfast, I thought he might make you lunch since it was lunch time. Looks good…” Luffy was drooling, but he jolted and wiped at his mouth when you made eye contact. “Ahaha, but I already ate so this is yours.”

“Monkey-san...”

“Haa~? That’s so formal, call me Luffy,” the black haired officer pointed at himself as he smiled. “Luffy.”

“Luffy-san,” you tried. Luffy looked happier, but you had a feeling that he would have preferred if you dropped the formalities. “Would you like the miso soup? I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish everything. Besides, it’s the least I can offer since you brought me breakfast.”

“Really?! (Y/n)-san, you’re super nice!” Luffy grinned as you handed him his share. You smiled as you ate your breakfast, wondering if you should pay him back for the food. 

As the two of you ate, Luffy asked about your plans for the day. You wondered if he wanted to accompany you to the shogun’s castle, but that was an errand you were going to do another day. You had considered continuing your job search, but you wanted to hold back on that so you weren’t overwhelmed again. You looked down at the last bits of your food as you thought about what to do that day.

“I’m going to go grocery shopping I guess,” you told Luffy. “That food was delicious, and the food I’ve been eating around Alablue has been great, but I need to buy some food for myself that I can cook.”

“So you’re going to the marketplace?” Luffy hummed in thought before he nodded. “Yosh! (Y/n)-san, I know lots of people at the marketplace, I can show you where to get what you need.” You crooked your head at Luffy, confusion clear on your face. “Everybody’s really nice, and I can talk to you some more.”

“Are...are you sure you want to do that?” You asked, only thinking about how you’d be getting in the way of Luffy’s job as an okappiki. “I’m kind of slow when shopping because I tend to look at everything. Are you sure that’s something you’d want to waste your time on?”

Luffy nodded determinedly. “I don’t think I’m wasting my time. I’m hanging out with you, so it’ll be fun!”


	12. Grocery Shopping is a Bonding Exercise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is still in hiatus, but I had most of this chapter written out. I wanted to go ahead and publish it.

“Yosh! Let’s see what the market has today,” Luffy beamed, a wide smile on his face. 

He looked over at you as you locked the door. You activated the enchantment and then nodded, letting Luffy know you were ready to leave. You adjusted your large shopping bag and made sure the second one was inside it. “You’ll have enough room for the food with two bags?”

“Yeah,” you walked up to the young man. “I have a list of what I need. I bought a recipe book from the bookstore, so I have some things in mind that I want to make that I can buy here.” You shrugged. “I’m going to have to try something new since the new environment means new ingredients. I can’t make everything I could before. Gotta expand.”

“That’s true...you can cook,” Luffy’s eyes suddenly sparkled in admiration towards you, and you nervously chuckled. “Can I try your food one day?”

“You want to try my cooking?” You hummed amused as you walked ahead, and Luffy followed you immediately. “ I can cook the basics and follow a recipe, but I’m not going to try and apply as a chef or anything. Don’t have high hopes.”

“Haa~ Food tastes better when made by somebody else, and food will taste good in good company,” Luffy stated, which earned a bemused smirk from you. “So eating food you made and eating with you will be great.”

“...You are something else.” You murmured, and Luffy looked at you confused. You looked away from him to hide your smile, but Luffy didn’t seem to notice. You are such a sweet talker. That is not fair. 

The two of you made your way to the heart of the town where the market was set. You hoped that there were still good products out because the shopkeepers weren’t closing for the day just yet. If luck was on your side, you could have at least two hours to shop without rush and finish once everybody was calling it closing time. You wondered if Luffy was going to stay with you during the entire shopping experience. He was bound to get bored and want to leave, wasn’t he?

“Luffy-san, if you get tired from shopping or it gets too late and you need to leave, please let me know.” You said once you two arrived at the entrance into the food market. You two walked up to the first stand with vegetables on display. “I’ll try not to waste too much time window shopping.” You briefly nodded to the shopkeeper as you picked up a carrot and inspected it. Other guests walked over to check the produce as well. 

“It’s okay, I’m going to help carry your groceries back to the house.”

“...Huh?” 

You lowered the carrot and looked over at Luffy. He was looking over the vegetables along with the new people, completely absorbed in thoughts about carrot cake. Him stating that he was going back with you as if it were the most natural thing in the world made you pause. You had to shake your head at his straightforwardness. You doubted he would stay that long by your side. Grocery shopping was going to be boring for him. 

You had underestimated Luffy’s earnestness. 

Immediately in the first thirty minutes, Luffy was attentive and asked which products looked interesting to you. You were only at the second stand, and you bounced ideas off each other about which vegetables to get. You never thought you could have an in depth conversation about the benefits of having carrots and potatoes in a soup. 

You had a long talk about how soup was an essential meal when it was cold outside, and it was best to seize the opportunity now to enjoy warm soup before the cold air left. You had to be the one to stop the conversation short when you realized that your odd talk was getting amused chuckles from people walking by. 

“I can’t believe we spent almost _half an hour_ talking about soup, can we please look at other stands,” you said, but your tone was clearly amused. You were a breath away from laughing as Luffy nodded, happy that you bought an array of vegetables. You continued on your errand of shopping. 

What you were not prepared for was what happened as you and Luffy walked through the rest of the market. You learned that Luffy was well respected and loved in the community. 

Shopkeepers were happy to greet him and get him to go to their stands. You were introduced by an enthusiastic Luffy as “My friend (l/n) (y/n), they’re this town’s witch.” After the first three times, you had to ask Luffy to only say you were new. You explained that you were a little apprehensive about explaining magic to people. Luffy nodded, saying he understood, but you had a feeling he wanted to talk about it some more. For the time being, he dropped the subject. 

The more you walked, the more amazed you were by how much everybody knew Luffy. Nearly every stand referred to him by his first name or oyabun. You two stopped at almost every stand, so you were indirectly window shopping and taking plenty of stops. 

“Oyabun! Come look at what I have at my stand, I’ll give you a 50% discount.”

“Luffy-san, who’s your new friend here? It’s nice seeing a new face. Here, you can have this for free.”

“Luffy! Welcome! And to your new friend too! Here, I’ll let you have this for a discounted price.”

“Oyabun, keep up the good work! Have these, they’re on the house!” 

“Oyabun, as a thank you for your work, take some of these home with you.”

By the time you were finished shopping, your bags were full and your wallet barely had a dent in it. You blinked surprised as you looked down at your grocery bag and the bag Luffy was holding. The black haired man was thanking another shopkeeper for the item he was being handed, and you didn’t even get a chance to reach for your money because the person stated that it was free. You chuckled as you and Luffy moved away from the stand. 

“I can’t believe I’ve gotten so many items for so low a price. Heck, I have free things too.” You looked at Luffy. “All of this is technically yours, you know that right?”

“Haa? But I can’t cook. I’ve only stopped by the market to get food that’s already made.” His statement made you wonder if the reason the people in the stands were happy to have him approach them was because he only ever passed by. Maybe it was their way of expressing their gratitude for his hard work. “If it’s mine, then I’m giving it to you. It’s your stuff now!”

“I guess, I guess. Or are you just hoping that I’ll use the ingredients that were given to you so I can cook you something?” You rolled your eyes. You were a little surprised with yourself. It was rare that you would feel comfortable with somebody to the point that you wanted to tease them. Luffy was a delight to be around, so it was impossible to not want to tease him a little.

“Ehhh? That’s not why...but I mean...” Luffy looked up at the sky so you weren’t making eye contact. “Food sounds good though right?” 

“Pfft, hahaha, okay, I want to cook you something.” Luffy looked at you with beaming eyes. “I want to thank you for coming with me, and getting me all this stuff honestly.” You held up your full bag for emphasis. “How about I cook something another day? I’ll treat you to something right now.”

“Really?! Thank you (Y/n)!” Luffy sniffed the air, and his eyes immediately fell on a ramen stand being run by a white haired, eccentric looking man. His white fluffy hair looked like clouds, and his wide smile was home to buck teeth as well cheeks with spiral-designs on them. “Let’s eat ramen! This stand looks cozy~”

“Sasasasasasa! Welcome you two!” The man laughed as you and Luffy approached. “Welcome to Ramen Kenpo. I’m Wanze the chef.” 

“Yosh, let’s see what’s here to eat!” Luffy took a seat and put his full bag down. You followed his example, and you both picked up your menus at the same time. Wanze was setting his ingredients down while you debated what type of ramen you wanted to eat.

“(Y/n)-san, can I ask you something?” Luffy suddenly going into formal speech surprised you a little. He was still looking at his menu as if it would help make his question easier to ask. When you hummed in approval, Luffy continued. “When you first came here, you said you wanted to apply as the town’s witch...but why couldn’t I introduce you as a witch?”

“Oh, um,” you took a second to collect your thoughts. It was a simple question, but you were suddenly bombarded with the anxious thoughts about _why_ you weren’t ready to be known as a witch to everybody. “It--It’s just…”

“Hmm~? You’re a witch?” Wanze suddenly paused his task of preparing the flour for the ramen. “Did I hear that right?” You felt yourself starting to emotionally shut off while Luffy looked annoyed by Wanze’s interruption. You recognized by the tone the kind of questions you were going to get. “Are you really? Say, can you heal this pain I’ve had in my elbows?”

“I’m sorry, healing magic isn’t my specialty…”

“Haa? Then can’t you make me a potion or something?” You shake your head and set down the menu. You wanted to leave immediately. “Can you read my future at least?” A pause. “Tell me what my dream from last night meant? Summon a spirit? Anything?”

“Oi, stop asking annoying things.” Luffy glared at the ever smiling Wanze. “We’re here to eat, not be annoyed.”

“Eh?! Who are you calling annoying?? You brat!”

“You! Asshole. Bleeehhh” Luffy stuck his tongue out at the white haired man.

“I’m just asking her to do some magic, that’s what witches do isn’t it? Also, I’m not an asshole, you are! ”

“ ** _They_** don’t have to do magic just because you said so. Besides! I’m rubber and you’re glue, whatever you say goes back to you, asshole.” Luffy proceeded to pull his cheek to prove his point, and then he blew a raspberry. You couldn’t help but think that Luffy was suddenly acting far younger than his age.

“Pfft, as if that’s impressive, I have a Devil Fruit too.” Wanze picked up the wheat flour he had set aside, and started to eat it all in one go. As you and Luffy watched in horror/confusion, Wanze smirked and put two ramen bowls in front of his face. He then blew his nose harshly to push out ramen noodles. “Two ramen bowls are ready to be eaten,” Wanze continued as he poured the hot broth into the bowls. “I can make ramen because I ate the--”

“No thank you!” You exclaimed as you quickly stood up, feeling a little green. “I’m going home now. I suddenly don’t have an appetite. Luffy,” you looked over at the equally disgusted young man. “Do you want to help me take everything home?”

“Absolutely.” 

“Hey, wait! Aren’t you going to pay for this?” Wanze called out to you, but you were already speed walking away from the ramen stand with your bag. You didn’t even notice how Luffy had turned around to stick his tongue out at the white haired man again. 

You and Luffy walked out of the market area as everybody was beginning to close for the day. You were relatively quiet while you gripped your bag and tried to erase the experience you had just witnessed. It wasn’t just the disgusting way the ramen was made that made you uneasy; you were beginning to think about your fears of having the title of witch. Your insecurity about holding such a title was taking a hold of you…

“What would be a less gross way to use that Devil Fruit?” 

You glanced to the side when Luffy moved to walk beside you. “What if the ramen came out of his ears instead?” Your displeased face had Luffy hum in concentration. “What if it came out of his mouth---no, no. That would look like he’d puking it out. Hmmm….” Luffy was putting a lot of thought into his question. You looked over at him with a bemused smile before you shake your head. “Ah! But if it comes out of his mouth, you can try and think of it like a mama bird feeding its baby.”

“I’m never eating that ramen. And before you try to think of another orifice that the ramen can come out of, I’m going to have to ask you to stop.” 

“His fingertips!” 

“...Huh?”

“Like this.” Luffy lifted one hand, and wiggled his fingers. “You know, like ‘Ramen appear’ and then ‘Boom’ ramen shoots from his fingertips.” 

“Hard pass.” 

You shut Luffy’s idea down, but you were smiling at the image. It was less gross than what you had seen. You looked up at the sky, and you noticed that the hints of the sun’s rays were disappearing. Dusk and then it would be nighttime. Hopefully you and Luffy would be at your house before it was too dark. 

“I’ll cook you something when we get to my house.” You said before you sighed. 

“Are you okay?” You nodded, but Luffy wasn’t satisfied with your answer. “You are this town’s witch. It doesn’t matter if that gross ramen guy doesn’t believe it.” You looked to the ground as you two continued walking. “You don’t want too many people to know because they’ll ask for stuff from you, huh?”

You nodded. “Many people have their own ideas of what a witch can do. I...I can’t do half of what they expect from me. I just have my magic, and it’s so little but it’s mine. It’s my magic, and I’m a witch because that’s who I am. I can show my magic to people I want to...but…” You sighed again. “Sometimes it feels like I’m not enough…”

“I see...I’m sorry,” Luffy moved to stop in front of you. He bowed deeply, which made you stop in your tracks. You were going to ask him to stop, but he spoke again. “If you hadn’t been patient with me and told me about magic and everything, I might’ve asked you stuff like that too. Thank you for teaching me.”

“I...Um,” you bowed in return. “Thank you for your honesty.” Luffy stood back up and smiled at you. “You’re very honest Luffy-san.”

“Really?” 

You smiled and nodded. “Let’s hurry before it gets too dark. I’m feeling hungry again, and eating with good company will make food taste better.”

“That’s right!”

“Just not food that you saw come out of some guy’s nose.”

“That’s true…”

“Let’s agree to repress that memory.”

“A-Agreed…”

The two of you were silent for a second before you broke out into a fit of giggles. You two kept walking, and you realized that you were feeling a lot better. You knew you had to make something delicious as a show of gratitude to the strawhat wearing officer. 

When the two of you arrived at your small cottage, you thought about what to make for dinner. You were feeling hungry again, and Luffy was practically vibrating in excitement on getting to eat food. You told Luffy to set the bag of groceries on the side of the table because you were going to pick out ingredients. 

You were going to make Sukiyaki. You had plenty of vegetables for it, and it would take less than an hour to make. You asked Luffy to help you with prepping the food--such as peeling the carrots and removing the mushroom stems--and he agreed. 

“(Y/n)-san?” Luffy got your attention while you were whisking the sukiyaki sauce in the pot. When he heard your ‘Hmm?’, he continued. “Do you want to meet some of the people I know in Alablue? My friends, I mean.” 

You paused for a second and responded with, “If it’s okay with them. I’d rather not interrupt them if they’re working or are specifically spending time with you.” You moved the pot off the stovetop and then went on to searing the beef. You didn’t turn to look back as you added, “Luffy-san, please stop eating the carrots that you’re cutting.”

Luffy jolted at your stern tone and put the piece he had cut down. Maybe asking Luffy to help was a bad idea, he kept sneaking in bites of the raw ingredients before you even had a chance to use them. 

“It’s okay, I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. Hmm...who would be good to meet first?” Luffy’s concentrated expression made you want to chuckle, but you had to get onto him again about eating another carrot piece. “Ah! I think you’ll like meeting Bluenose-sensei.”

“Sensei…” With a title like that, it made you worry that such a person would be too busy and serious to have you suddenly stop by to say Hi. “You think I can meet them first? I don’t mind, but please let them know beforehand. I don’t want to suddenly appear and then be told ‘Sorry, but kinda busy with important stuff here’ you know?”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me!” Luffy gave you a thumbs up and a big smile. “Let’s go see him tomorrow.”

“If...if you think that’s a good idea…”

“Is the food done? It smells good~” Luffy sniffed at the air, and you shake your head. 

“Almost, I still need the ingredients you haven’t eaten.” You stated as you went to the table to gather everything you and Luffy had cut. Luffy would have to wait for the final product, but he would be patient. He was happy that you were willing to be acquainted with his friends, so he was looking forward to tomorrow’s possibilities--as well as the next couple of minutes, the food would be done!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t remember if Wazne ate a Devil Fruit, I couldn’t find the name of it if it exists. We’re going to agree that he did eat one because how in the hecky does he do that stuff with ramen??


End file.
